The Minnesota Vikings are heading into Week 1 with a number that says plenty about where the league sees them right now: +5000 to win Super Bowl 61.
That puts Minnesota tied for the 18th-best championship odds in the NFL and ninth among NFC teams, a blunt reminder that oddsmakers aren’t exactly buying the hype heading into 2026. The Vikings also sit at +2400 to reach the Super Bowl.
It’s a rough bit of reality for a franchise that has gone half a century without getting back to the NFL’s biggest stage. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Minnesota’s last Super Bowl appearance, a 32-14 loss to John Madden’s Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl 11.
That defeat was part of a painful stretch, since the Vikings also dropped Super Bowls 8 and 9 to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. Since then, Minnesota has reached the NFC Championship Game six times and lost every single one.
The Super Bowl 61 market shows just how crowded the NFC race looks from the outside. Minnesota trails the Los Angeles Rams, Sam Darnold and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys in the conference pecking order.
The full board reflects a league where the Vikings are respected, but not feared. The Rams lead the way at +500, while Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens sit at +1000. Kansas City Chiefs are listed at +1600, the Eagles at +1700, and Minnesota is tucked into the group at +5000 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Still, these odds are better than what the Vikings were dealing with earlier in the offseason. Right after the Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, Minnesota was sitting at +6000. That number moved to +5500 in mid-March after the team signed quarterback Kyler Murray, and it was the same just after the 2026 NFL Draft.
Murray is now the guy under center, taking over for J.J. McCarthy, and the expectation is that he can help restore the kind of production Minnesota had on offense in 2024 with Darnold.
He’ll have plenty to work with, too. Jauan Jennings joins a group that already includes Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J.
Hockenson.
When Murray has been available, the numbers have been solid. In every season in which he has played more than 11 games, he has thrown for at least 3,700 yards and 20 touchdowns. The concern is obvious, though: he has played more than 11 games in only four of his seven seasons.
There’s also reason for optimism on the other side of the ball. The Vikings have the pieces to be a top-10 defense, and keeping Brian Flores as defensive coordinator was a major offseason win after there had been real concern he might leave for another head coaching opportunity.
So the setup is there for Minnesota to make noise. And if nothing else, the latest odds should give the Vikings plenty of bulletin-board material.
In Other News...
Vikings Suddenly Face A Bigger J.J. McCarthy Decision Than Expected
Sam Darnolds hip injury has turned what was already a delicate quarterback picture into something far murkier for the Vikings. Darnold left the game and is headed for an MRI, and the results could shape not just his immediate availability, but how Minnesota approaches a position that suddenly feels more fragile than it did a few days ago. It also puts a sharper spotlight on J.J. McCarthy, who has been sitting behind Darnold after the Vikings chose to keep him in the third-string role.
McCarthys place on the depth chart was already a talking point, but the ripple effects may extend beyond Minnesota. The Seahawks have long been linked to McCarthy, and the connection makes more sense when you consider both the interest they once showed and the familiarity he has with parts of that coaching tree. Seattles offensive setup is also viewed as a cleaner fit for him than Minnesotas, which adds another layer to a situation the Vikings probably did not expect to revisit so soon. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Real 2026 Aaron Jones Problem
The Vikings are already setting up the 2026 offense around a new quarterback in Kyler Murray, but the backfield may be just as interesting under Kevin O'Connell and his staff. ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the team hired Frank Smith as assistant head coach to bring more wide-zone running concepts into the system, a move that should give Minnesota more of the kind of run game it wants to build around as the offense keeps evolving.
Jordan Mason looks like the player best positioned to benefit. His past rushing success fits the schematic shift, and the changes could push him into a larger role than Aaron Jones Sr. in the Vikings' ground game. Nothing is settled yet, but Minnesota appears to be preparing for a real competition at the position, and the shape of that battle may say plenty about how the team wants to support Murray in his first season leading the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Add A Familiar Brian Flores Piece To An Unsettled Front Seven
The Vikings kept working to shore up their front seven by adding Jihad Ward, a veteran edge rusher who gives Brian Flores another familiar piece to plug into a defense still taking shape. Wards value has long been tied to his flexibility, since he can line up both on the edge and inside, and that kind of versatility matters for a group that needs help behind its established starters.
For Minnesota, the move is less about splash than about making the rotation sturdier and giving Flores more options as he mixes and matches personnel. Ward also arrives with a track record of generating pressure in previous seasons, which is exactly the sort of steady, usable production the Vikings have been trying to collect as they continue to add veteran bodies to an unsettled unit. [Read more 🡒]