DAVE CAMPBELL Pro Football Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) on the sidelines during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

J.J. McCarthy’s time with the Vikings has arrived. He’ll face his favorite childhood team, the Bears

September 7, 2025

J.J. McCarthy will play in his first NFL game on Monday night for the Minnesota Vikings when they visit the Chicago Bears. He grew up rooting for the Bears in the Chicago area. The Vikings were the opponent when McCarthy made his first visit to Soldier Field as a 4-year-old with his father. McCarthy was the 10th pick in the 2024 draft. His debut was delayed by a knee injury that required surgery and kept him out of his entire rookie season. The Vikings have a Super Bowl aspiration with several Pro Bowl players despite turning to an untested quarterback.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) leaves the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Rondale Moore’s comeback bid with Vikings ends painfully with season-ending knee injury

August 12, 2025

Wide receiver and return specialist Rondale Moore will miss another season because of a knee injury. The Minnesota Vikings confirmed Tuesday that testing on Moore’s left knee revealed a season-ending injury. Moore spent the first three years of his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals. He dislocated his right knee during training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 and never played for them. His latest injury came while returning a punt Saturday for Minnesota in an exhibition game as he was tackled at the sideline. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell described the situation as “heartbreaking.”

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) takes part in drills during the team's NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

NFL suspends Vikings’ Jordan Addison for 3 games over DUI case

August 5, 2025

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has been suspended for three games by the NFL. The suspension is due to a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy related to a drunken driving case from last year. Addison avoided a trial by pleading no contest to a lesser charge last month. He was arrested in July 2024 when found asleep in his vehicle. The suspension will affect games against Chicago, Atlanta and Cincinnati. Addison, the 23rd pick of the 2023 draft, has been a key player alongside Justin Jefferson. The Vikings will rely on other receivers during his absence.

FILE - Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) takes part in drills during practice at NFL football minicamp, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

NFL longevity demands wisdom as much as determination and talent. These seasoned guys can explain

August 5, 2025

NFL careers are notoriously short. Yet the young man’s league still has some space for the most seasoned players. Wisdom is just as important to sticking around as determination and talent. There were 30 active players who were born in the 1980s when training camps opened. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the oldest at age 41. Minnesota Vikings free safety Harrison Smith is 36 and the only defensive back in the group. He has focused his training in recent years around joint mobility to simulate game situations in pursuit of endurance, strength and injury prevention.

FILE - Minnesota Viking tackle Jim Marshall clutches the game ball as he is carried from the field by teammates Doug Southerland, left, and Scott Studwell after the Vikings defeated the Buffalo Bills 10-3 in an NFL football game in Bloomington, Minn., on Sunday, Dec. 9, 1979. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

Vikings’ Purple People Eater Jim Marshall, the ‘all-time iron man,’ dies at 87

June 3, 2025

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall has died after a long hospitalization for an undisclosed illness. He was 87. Marshall was one of the four members of the famed Purple People Eaters front that formed the backbone of four Super Bowl teams. The Vikings announced Marshall’s death Tuesday on behalf of his wife, Susan. He played 19 of his 20 seasons in the NFL with Minnesota. The two-time Pro Bowl pick set a league record for position players with 282 consecutive games played. That mark was held by Marshall until Brett Favre broke it with the Vikings in 2010.

FILE - Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah answers questions during an NFL football press conference Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

Vikings sign GM Adofo-Mensah to extension, keeping his contract in sync with O’Connell’s

May 30, 2025

The Minnesota Vikings have signed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to a multi-year contract extension that keeps his status in sync with head coach Kevin O’Connell’s for the long term. O’Connell’s extension was done in January. Both Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were hired in 2022 on four-year deals. The length of their new contracts was not released. The Vikings are 34-17 in the regular season since they arrived. The 43-year-old Adofo-Mensah started his first career on Wall Street as a commodities trader and portfolio manager. He entered the NFL in 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers as a research and development specialist.

DAVE CAMPBELL Pro Football Writer.