2020 Minnesota Vikings season
The [2020 National Football League|NFL season|2020 season] was the Minnesota Vikings' 60th in the National Football League, their fifth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their seventh under head coach Mike Zimmer. This was the Vikings' first time since 2005 that long-time assistant Kevin Stefanski was not part of the Vikings coaching staff, as he left to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns on January 12, 2020. After going 1–5 in their first six games for the first time since 2013, the team failed to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2019 after a Week 11 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and failed to match their 10–6 record after a Week 14 loss to the [2020 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers].
The Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention following a week 16 loss to the [2020 2020 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints], and ultimately finished 7–9, their first losing season since 2014. The Vikings conceded 475 points during the season, the third-highest total in franchise history, although they also managed to score 430 points, also the third-most in team history.
Offseason
Transactions
| Name | Position | Type | 2020 team | Contract | Ref. |
| Mackensie Alexander | CB | UFA | Cincinnati Bengals | 1 year, $4 million | |
| Kentrell Brothers | LB | UFA | |||
| Stefon Diggs | WR | Trade | Buffalo Bills | ||
| Everson Griffen | DE | UFA | Dallas Cowboys | 1 year, $6 million | |
| Linval Joseph | DT | Released | Los Angeles Chargers | 2 years, $17 million | |
| Jayron Kearse | S | UFA | [2020 2020 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions] | 1 year, $2 million | |
| Josh Kline | G | Released | |||
| David Morgan II | TE | Released | |||
| Xavier Rhodes | CB | Released | [2020 2020 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts] | 1 year, $3.25 million | |
| Andrew Sendejo | S | UFA | Cleveland Browns | 1 year, $2.25 million | |
| Marcus Sherels | CB | UFA | |||
| Laquon Treadwell | WR | UFA | Atlanta Falcons | 1 year, $910,000 | |
| Trae Waynes | CB | UFA | Cincinnati Bengals | 3 years, $42 million | |
| Stephen Weatherly | DE | UFA | Carolina Panthers | 2 years, $12.5 million |
| Name | Position | Type | 2019 team | Contract | Ref. |
| Ameer Abdullah | RB | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $1.0475 million | |
| Dan Bailey | K | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 3 years, $10 million | |
| Britton Colquitt | P | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 3 years, $9 million | |
| Kirk Cousins | QB | Extension | Minnesota Vikings | 2 years, $66 million | |
| Dakota Dozier | T | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $1 million | |
| DeMarquis Gates | LB | UFA | Houston Roughnecks | 1 year, $610,000 | |
| C. J. Ham | FB | Extension | Minnesota Vikings | 4 years, $12 million | |
| Anthony Harris | S | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $11.441 million | |
| Rashod Hill | G | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $1.0475 million | |
| Brett Jones | C | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $1 million | |
| Sean Mannion | QB | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $1.047 million | |
| Michael Pierce | DT | UFA | Baltimore Ravens | 3 years, $27 million | |
| Tajae Sharpe | WR | UFA | Tennessee Titans | 1 year, $1 million | |
| Eric Wilson | LB | RFA | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $3.259 million | |
| Anthony Zettel | DE | UFA | San Francisco 49ers | 1 year, $1 million |
2020 draft
The Vikings had a total of 15 selections in the 2020 NFL draft, a record number since the draft moved to a seven-round format in 1994. Although they had lost their original fifth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in the trade for kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik prior to the 2019 season and their seventh-round pick in the trade that sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills earlier in the 2020 offseason, the Diggs trade gave the Vikings extra picks in the first, fifth and sixth rounds. They also had an extra pick in the seventh round after trading guard Danny Isidora to the Miami Dolphins at the start of the 2019 season, as well as one compensatory pick in the third round and two in the seventh as a result of free agency losses in 2019.After taking LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson 22nd overall with the first-round pick they acquired from the Bills, the Vikings traded their original first-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 31st overall pick, as well as selections in the fourth and fifth rounds; with the 31st overall pick, the Vikings took TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney. The Vikings used their second-round pick on Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland, then took Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler in the third round, before trading their third-round compensatory pick to the New Orleans Saints for the Saints' remaining picks in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.
In the fourth round, the Vikings used the picks they acquired from the 49ers and Saints to select South Carolina defensive end D. J. Wonnum and Baylor defensive tackle James Lynch, before taking Oregon linebacker Troy Dye with their original fourth-round pick. The Vikings traded the fifth-round pick they acquired from the Bills to the [2020 2020 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears] for a fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft, before using their remaining fifth-round selections on Temple Owls cornerback Harrison Hand and Miami (FL) wide receiver K. J. Osborn. In the sixth round, the Vikings traded the other pick they acquired from the Bills—along with the seventh-round selection they got from the Dolphins—to the Ravens for another seventh-round pick and a fifth-round pick in 2021 before taking Oregon State offensive tackle Blake Brandel and Michigan safety Josh Metellus. The Vikings then had four remaining picks in the seventh round, which they used on Michigan State Spartans defensive end Kenny Willekes, Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley, Mississippi State safety Brian Cole II and Washburn guard Kyle Hinton.
| Pro Bowler |
Notes
- The Vikings were awarded three compensatory selections at the NFL's annual spring owners' meetings. They received one additional pick in the third round and two in the seventh round, compensating for the losses of Sheldon Richardson, Trevor Siemian and Tom Compton.
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
| Brady Aiello | OL | Oregon | |
| Jake Bargas | TE | North Carolina | |
| Dan Chisena | WR | Penn State | |
| Nevelle Clarke | CB | UCF | |
| Quartney Davis | WR | Texas A&M | |
| Myles Dorn | CB | North Carolina | |
| Jordan Fehr | LB | Appalachian State | |
| Nakia Griffin-Stewart | TE | Pittsburgh | |
| Tyler Higby | OL | Michigan State | |
| Jake Lacina | OL | Augustana (SD) | |
| Blake Lynch | LB | Baylor | |
| David Moa | DT | Boise State |
Preseason
The Vikings' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was canceled in late July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 1 | [2020 2020 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans season|Houston Texans] | U.S. Bank Stadium | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2 | at Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 3 | August 30 | at Cleveland Browns | FirstEnergy Stadium | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 4 | [2020 2020 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks] | U.S. Bank Stadium | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
Regular season
Schedule
The Vikings' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.