The Vikings finished a game short of the Super Bowl last season after going 13-3 in the regular season, but they decided to shake things up on offense.
Minnesota opted against re-signing quarterback Case Keenum and signed Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract instead. For many, the message behind that move was that Cousins would be able to get the team over the hump that they couldn’t clear with Keenum under center.
Coach Mike Zimmer said at the league meetings that he isn’t viewing things that way.
“I don’t look at this as Super Bowl or bust,” Zimmer said, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.
Managing expectations in March may be a wise approach, but there’s little doubt that they are going to still be high once the Vikings hit the field in Minnesota. Even a small step backward is going to be met with negative reactions and three more years without a Vikings Super Bowl win is unlikely to lead to warm feelings about the choices made this offseason.