The Vikings’ leadership group for 2026 is set, and the team is leaning on a mix of familiar voices and a few new faces.
Minnesota announced eight captains for the upcoming season, with five holdovers from last year and three players stepping into the role after departures or changes from the 2025 roster. Those captains will wear a C on their jerseys all season and serve as key voices in Kevin O’Connell’s locker room.
On offense, the Vikings went with quarterback Kyler Murray, right tackle Brian O’Neill, receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones Sr. Murray is the newcomer in that group, taking over from J.J.
McCarthy. He arrives with plenty of captaincy experience already in hand, having been a six-time captain with the Arizona Cardinals.
In Minnesota, he’ll take on the standard quarterback leadership role.
Murray is more of a lead-by-example presence than the kind of loud, constant talker Kirk Cousins was, for example. That gives the Vikings a different flavor at the position, with the idea being that leadership comes in more than one form.
O’Neill remains the longest-tenured captain on the roster, now in his sixth straight year. Jefferson is a captain for the fourth year in a row, while Jones is back for his second straight season in the role.
The defense will be led by safety Josh Metellus, linebacker Blake Cashman and outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. Metellus stands out as one of the team’s most vocal players, the kind of guy who often delivers the pregame pump-up speech. He was a special teams captain in 2023 and is now a defensive captain for the third consecutive year.
Cashman and Van Ginkel are first-time Vikings captains. They take the spots left by six-time captain Harrison Smith and one-time captain Jonathan Greenard, who had replaced Harrison Phillips as a captain last year.
Smith could still potentially return to the Vikings. Greenard was traded to the Eagles in April.
Both Cashman and Van Ginkel are entering their third seasons with Minnesota after joining as free agents in March of 2024, and both are viewed as two of the team’s best defensive players heading into this season.
The final captain is long snapper Andrew De Paola, who keeps his spot as the special teams leader for the third straight year. At 39, he’s still playing at a high level and remains an important presence for coordinator Matt Daniels on special teams.
In Other News...
Kyler Murray Could Change How The Vikings Offense Really Looks
Kyler Murrays rise as Arizonas starting quarterback has a ripple effect in Minnesota, where the Vikings are watching the way his game keeps expanding. General manager Nolan Teasley pointed to Murrays improved anticipation, his ability to fit throws into tight windows and the work he has done at the line of scrimmage, all while still leaning on the mobility that has always made him dangerous. For a Vikings offense under Kevin OConnell that is built on timing and footwork, that kind of growth is the sort of trait that can change how a team has to defend him.
Murray won the starting job on August 11, and the early signs from practices and preseason games suggest there is real progress behind the buzz. The question for Minnesota is whether those flashes become something more dependable once the games count, because the Vikings know how quickly a quarterback who can win from the pocket and off schedule can alter the feel of an offense. For now, the evidence points to a player still adding layers, with the next step likely to say a lot about just how different that attack can look. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Quarterback Drama Is Creating An Opening Few Fans Expected
The quarterback conversation in Minnesota has shifted again, and this time it is Kyler Murray who has stepped into the middle of it. General manager Nolan Teasley recently addressed questions about J.J. McCarthys future, making clear that the first-round picks story is still being written after just 10 starts, even as the job has moved elsewhere and the attention around the position keeps building.
Murrays situation looks different from McCarthys in one important way: he has been able to work through training camp with far less media scrutiny. There is a real chance that the noise surrounding McCarthy ends up working in Murrays favor, giving him room to settle in while the debate continues around him, much like some past Vikings teams that found success while the quarterback picture stayed unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Kyler Murray Could Force Kevin OConnell Into A Vikings Offense Dilemma
Kevin OConnell has built his reputation on adapting to the quarterback in front of him, and that flexibility is part of why the Vikings have been able to keep moving through different styles under center. His background blends the precision of a Patriots-influenced system with a more modern, California-flavored approach, which usually shows up in timing, rhythm and an emphasis on clean execution. The challenge is that Kyler Murray does not always fit neatly into that kind of structure, even if his talent gives an offense a different kind of ceiling.
Murrays mobility and quick decision-making can stress a defense in ways a more traditional passer cannot, but they also ask a play caller to rethink how much of the offense should be built on precise, timed windows. OConnell has handled different quarterbacks before, and the Vikings current quarterback situation only adds to the intrigue if Murray becomes a real possibility. The question is not whether OConnell can adjust, but how much he is willing to bend his preferred style to make room for a quarterback whose best traits can change the whole shape of the offense. [Read more 🡒]