Getty The Vikings have become a new beacon for Tom Brady's potential return to the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings deserve something to play for despite potentially losing Kirk Cousins for the season.
Overcoming an 0-3 start, the Vikings went 4-1 in October and have shown their mettle, coming off back-to-back wins over the Super Bowl favorite San Francisco 49ers and rival Green Bay Packers the following week.
But with the franchise’s future at quarterback in question, it’s time for a bold move, not lip service.
Losing the locker room to a tank job in light of Cousins suffering a right Achilles injury is counterintuitive to the winning culture Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah promised when they arrived in Minnesota two years ago.
Vikings fans have made calls on social media for the organization to make what would be a historic move — reeling Tom Brady out of retirement.
Brady and Vikings fans alike are clamoring for his return, with Minnesota becoming the latest beacon for his potential comeback. A notable social media post by SkolBros on X (formerly Twitter) shows his message to Brady on Instagram in the hopes of luring the Hall of Fame quarterback out of retirement.
“Say the Vikings lost Kirk today,” the fan wrote. “Have you ever thought about having Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson to throw to? The OL has been playing well and you wouldn’t get hit much. Let us know if you could come help us out.”
Please @TomBrady just hear us out…
Tom Brady’s Ties to Minnesota Vikings
GettyVikings coach Kevin O’Connell (left) and Tom Brady crossed paths during the 2008 season.
It may sound like a pipe dream, but Brady does have many ties to Minnesota.
Approaching the Super Bowl in 2018, hosted by Minnesota, Brady revealed his roots to the state, sharing that his mother is from Browerville, a small town located two hours northwest of the Twin Cities metro.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback spent multiple summers and some of his “greatest memories” as a child with his grandparents in Browerville, calling himself “half-Minnesotan.”
“I love coming back here. I’ve got a lot of family here. It’s a great state. It’s pretty unbelievable to actually be playing here,” Brady said, recalling milking cows and catching sunfish off his grandparents’ boat and frying them for dinner, per Yahoo Sports.
Brady also has ties to the Vikings organization. He crossed paths with O’Connell, who was a backup to Brady in 2008. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores also spent a decade in the same building as Brady, most notably serving as defensive play caller in the Patriots’ 2019 Super Bowl win.
Vikings Are on the Clock Ahead of the Trade Deadline
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings.
This week will be one of the most defining of Adofo-Menah’s tenure in Minnesota.
Facing the opportunity to either embrace the tank or keep his locker room engaged, Adofo-Mensah’s decision at quarterback will impact the team for years to come.
Sure, giving Jaren Hall some tread is all part of the process of evaluating their young quarterback, but it’s a situation he nor the franchise had planned on for his rookie year.
Simply sticking with Hall has the optics of a team that is not trying to ride the momentum of a roster that overcame an 0-3 start and has won three straight games without superstar Justin Jefferson.
The offensive line has come together to become one of the league’s top units by several advanced metrics. The defense has been disruptive and opportunistic in recent weeks. Jordan Addison has answered the bell in Jefferson’s absence.
For the first time in years, every phase has been in sync and complementary over the past few weeks.
Yet, a cloud hung over the winning locker room at Lambeau Field on Sunday with many players accepting the reality that their quarterback may have played his final game of the season.
Shoo-ing it in would be a disservice to the other 52 players in the locker room who persisted through a winless first month of the season.
And while sitting pat at quarterback could lead to a win on draft day, it would undoubtedly drain the morale in the locker room.