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Two other teams that should join the Minnesota Vikings in starting over
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Two other teams that should join the Minnesota Vikings in starting over

The Vikings are one of several teams facing major questions this offseason. Should Minnesota, a one-and-done playoff team in 2022, maintain the status quo or blow things up?
 
Trey Wingo, the former ESPNer, and Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team suggest it's time for a teardown.

That might be best for not only the Vikings. Two other teams could take their teams down to the studs and start over.

Arizona Cardinals

The youngest coaching staff in the NFL should extend the youth movement to its roster. DE J.J. Watt and WR A.J. Green have retired. Another wideout, DeAndre Hopkins, could be traded. 

Arizona certainly has enough receivers. 

The Cardinals traded two picks for Chosen Anderson midseason after trading for Marquise Brown during the offseason. The team also has Rondale Moore, who will be entering his third year in the league. It's time to unload some weight in the wide receiver room.

The Cardinals finished 4-13 in 2022 and will likely be without starting QB Kyler Murray for the beginning of the season. There's little reason to expect Arizona to contend in 2023, and the team can get its ducks in a row by shedding veterans, acquiring draft picks and building for a brighter future with Murray starting a full season in 2024.

New Orleans Saints

If the Saints land Derek Carr, the expectations for New Orleans in 2023 would need recalibration. There's reason to believe that won't happen.

Carr has a couple of other suitors, and ESPN's Field Yates predicts he'll end up in Carolina while the Saints will be left standing at the end of the round of musical chairs. Yates has Baker Mayfield pegged as the starting QB in New Orleans.

The team could receive draft picks by unloading costly but impactful veterans such as Cam Jordan and Demario Davis. They could shape the playoff race on better teams next season. 

The Saints have shown over the years they know how to draft and develop players. New Orleans would have more chances at drafting the pillars of the next great Saints teams by cutting ties to respected veterans who deserve better than what the Saints likely can offer in 2023.

Minnesota Vikings 

Minnesota, 13-4 in 2022, is 30th in cap space at $24.4 million over the cap. As Meirov noted, the team can save roughly $50 million in cap space by moving running back Dalvin Cook, safety Harrison Smith, edge rusher Za'Darius Smith and linebackers Jordan Hicks and Eric Kendricks.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his contract, and wide receiver Justin Jefferson is expected to reset the market as he seeks a deal that could pay him $30 million annually. Minnesota is approaching the iceberg and won't be able to save everyone.

In 2022, the Vikings ranked 31st in yards allowed per game (388.7), so if there was ever a time for the team to hit the reset button on that side of the ball, it would be this offseason. The Vikings hired Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, and that shouldn't be the only change to the unit.

Minnesota won several close games in 2022 and was outscored 427-424, highly unusual for a 13-win team. In a wild-card game at home, the Vikings lost to a Giants team that went 9-7-1 during the regular season.

It's time for bold changes in the Twin Cities.

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