Who are the Vikings’ best player(s) at every position over the past 25 seasons? That’s the question we set out to answer with our all-quarter century team for the franchise.
Many of the choices are obvious, but it’s a tricky exercise at some spots. How do you weigh peak performance against longevity? We tried to incorporate a balance of both to build our team.
Let’s dive into it. We’re going with 11 players on offense, 11 on defense, and five on special teams. We’ll use 11 personnel (three receivers) and a nickel grouping (three defensive backs). Oh, and my hypothetical coaching staff will have Kevin O’Connell as head coach and offensive coordinator, with Mike Zimmer running the defense.
Quarterback: Daunte Culpepper
This one is worthy of some debate. Brett Favre and Sam Darnold (!) have had two of the better individual QB seasons of the century for the Vikings, but it’s just one apiece. So really, this comes down to Culpepper or Kirk Cousins — and it’s pretty close. Both made three Pro Bowls in six seasons. Although Cousins won more games and has the better overall passing numbers, it’s important to consider team context, era, and rushing numbers as well. And in my opinion, Culpepper was better in his era than Cousins was in his, highlighted by the best Vikings QB season ever in 2004. He’s the pick.
Running back: Adrian Peterson
With respect to prime Dalvin Cook, this is maybe the easiest choice of them all. Peterson is one of the two best running backs of the 21st century, even if a couple ESPN analytics guys don’t think so. He’s the Vikings’ only MVP winner since 1975. It was a sight to behold when he broke into the open field.
Wide receiver: Justin Jefferson, Randy Moss, Adam Thielen
The first two spots are as easy as the Peterson pick. And given that a couple of Moss’s great seasons came in 1998 and ’99, I think Jefferson would already be the choice if you could only take one. If he stays on this pace, Jefferson has a real chance to join Moss as one of the five best receivers to ever play the game. Heck, he has an outside chance at catching Jerry Rice’s yardage mark if he maintains his production for another decade (a huge if, to be sure). Honestly, the third spot is a slam dunk, too. It’s gotta be Thielen, the Minnesota kid who went from tryout player to two-time Pro Bowler.
Tight end: Kyle Rudolph
This is partially a longevity choice, although Rudolph was a high-level player in his prime. If you’re going off of pure peak, T.J. Hockenson’s 2023 is probably the best Vikings tight end season of the century. But Rudolph has over 2,500 more receiving yards than Hockenson, and over 2K more than second place at the position (Visanthe Shiancoe). He gets the nod for now, but it might be Hockenson if you were to do this exercise a few years down the line.
Offensive tackles: Bryant McKinnie, Christian Darrisaw
There are basically four players you can consider here, coming from two different eras within the century. There’s the McKinnie and Phil Loadholt duo from the 2009 team, and the modern-era duo of Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Because this is my list and there are no real rules, I’m going to “cheat” by taking both left tackles and putting one of them on the right side. McKinnie has to be here because of his combination of peak and longevity. And with all due respect to O’Neill and his consistency, I don’t want to leave Darrisaw off my team. When he’s healthy, he’s an absolute joy to watch play football.
Interior offensive line: Steve Hutchinson, Matt Birk, David Dixon
Hutchinson, the Hall of Famer, is a no-brainer choice to hold down my left guard spot. He was an incredible player, earning three straight first team All-Pro nods in a Vikings uniform from 2007-09. The center has to be Birk, who made six Pro Bowls with Minnesota (but shoutout to John Sullivan, who was underrated at his peak). And at right guard, Dixon played long enough in the early 2000s to get the nod over Joe Berger. (I could cheat and put Sullivan at RG, but that feels more egregious than asking Darrisaw to play RT).
Defensive tackle: Kevin Williams, Pat Williams
Kevin Williams is an obvious pick. He was an absolute menace of a pass-rushing DT who really should’ve garnered more Hall of Fame consideration than he has. Five first-team All-Pro nods is nothing to sneeze at. The second spot is a tough choice between the other half of the Williams Wall and Linval Joseph. They both spent six seasons with the Vikings and made multiple Pro Bowls. You really can’t go wrong with either one as your nose tackle. By the slightest of edges, I’m going to roll with Pat, who was a monster of a run-stuffer.
Edge rusher: Jared Allen, Danielle Hunter
Everson Griffen definitely deserves a mention for his longevity and that nasty spin move. He was a big part of some excellent Mike Zimmer defenses. These two guys were even better. Allen, who finally got into the Hall of Fame this year, is an easy pick due his five-year peak in a Vikings uniform, which included three first team All-Pro nods and a 22-sack 2011 season that nearly won him the DPOY award. Hunter’s 87.5 sacks leads all Vikings players in the century, and he’d have over 100 if he hadn’t missed all of 2020 and more than half of 2021. He was (and still is) a beast of an edge defender.
Linebacker: Chad Greenway, Eric Kendricks
Greenway’s spot here is a bit like Rudolph’s in that longevity played a decent role. He spent his entire ten-year career with the Vikings, playing in 161 games. Greenway was a high-volume tackler who also had 18 sacks and 11 interceptions. At the other spot, Kendricks beats out teammate and good friend Anthony Barr by a relatively small margin. Barr was very good, especially early in his career. But Kendricks played a bit longer and had a higher peak. From 2019 to 2020, he was maybe the best coverage linebacker in all of football.
Safety: Harrison Smith, Corey Chavous
Smith is another layup. There aren’t too many players in Vikings history, at any position, who have combined longevity and peak like he has. Smith has been doing it since 2012 and is still going strong as the 2025 season approaches. He’s got a Hall of Fame case. From a pure football standpoint, the other safety should perhaps be Darren Sharper. But we’re not gonna do that; morals have to matter just a little. Instead, we’re going to go with Chavous, who had a strong four-year run with the Vikings, including an eight-interception season in 2003. If you wanted to pick a more recent guy like Anthony Harris, Camryn Bynum, or Josh Metellus alongside Smith, that wouldn’t be crazy.
Cornerback: Antoine Winfield, Xavier Rhodes, Byron Murphy Jr.
Two of these picks are easy. Winfield is one of the best pound-for-pound cornerbacks in modern NFL history, a demon of a tackler and coverage player at just 5’9″ and 180 pounds. It was cool to see him included on PFF’s all-quarter century team earlier this year. Rhodes is also a clear choice; he had a strong seven-year run with the Vikings, including a couple elite-level seasons in 2016 and ’17. The third spot is pretty open. And with respect to guys like Cedric Griffin, Brian Williams, and Trae Waynes, I’m going to give it to a current player in Murphy, who made the Pro Bowl last year after a six-interception campaign. Either he or Winfield can play in the slot on my imaginary defense.
Kicker: Ryan Longwell
Blair Walsh had the best single season by a Vikings kicker this century in 2012, but Longwell’s overall numbers edge out Walsh’s. And only one of them missed a field goal in the postseason.
Punter: Chris Kluwe
No one comes close from a longevity standpoint. And punters have to be pretty good to keep the job.
Return specialists: Cordarrelle Patterson (KR), Marcus Sherels (PR)
Shoutout to Percy Harvin, who was electric in his own right in the return game. Patterson just happens to be the greatest kick returner in NFL history. Sherels was the Vikings’ punt returner for nearly a decade, taking five of them to the house.
Special teams ace: Heath Farwell
Farwell was a stud special teamer for the Vikings in the second half of the 2000s. He came back from a torn ACL in 2008 and made the Pro Bowl the following year. More recently, Metellus and C.J. Ham have been excellent special teamers, but Farwell is the gold standard.
