When a team with somewhat lofty expectations has a 6-8 record through 15 weeks, at least a handful of players share the blame. The 2025 Minnesota Vikings are no different, and the following five players have failed to deliver this season.
A reality check on five names Minnesota counted on this season, but hasn't gotten enough from through 15 weeks.
This list focuses on men who had modest or better expectations back in the preseason but have not delivered as expected.
The failure-to-launch guys, listed in ascending order (No. 1 = top disappointment).
Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Tai Felton goes through warmups at Memorial Stadium, with the date Sep. 28, 2024 marking a road matchup against Indiana in Bloomington. Felton prepared alongside teammates as Maryland finalized pregame routines, offering a quiet snapshot before kickoff in a Big Ten contest that tested depth and execution. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin–Imagn Images
5. Tai Felton | WR
Felton has played just 30 offensive snaps, a ridiculously low number for a 3rd-Round rookie. After Justin Jefferson , Jordan Addison , and Jalen Nailor in the WR room, the Vikings simply haven't targeted wide receivers much this season, at least compared to other NFL teams.
The Maryland alumnus has 2 catches for 19 yards. He sees the field on special teams, but general managers should not make a habit of using 3rd-Round draft capital on special teamers. Those men can be found in undrafted free agency.
Felton may bloom in 2026, but he's done next to nothing in his first year.
4. Ivan Pace Jr. | LB
Eric Wilson has played so well in his reunion season with the Vikings that defensive coordinator Brian Flores benched Pace Jr. a couple of months ago. Blake Cashman got hurt, Wilson took over, and when Cashman healed, Flores put Pace Jr. on the bench while starting Cashman and Wilson. What a world.
Pace Jr. struggled with basic tackling during the first month of the season. Wilson has no such struggles.
The once-promising linebacker is also slated for restricted free agency. He may be in his final days with the team, especially if he thinks he can start elsewhere.
3. Jeff Okudah | CB
Fans waited all spring and summer to see if the Vikings would sign a real CB3, like Stephon Gilmore or Shaquill Griffin , in 2024. That never happened. The club relied on Okudah, and that plan failed. Okudah stunk when healthy, abused by opposing quarterbacks as a matter of the other team's gameplan, and later succumbed to two concussions.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams drops back to pass against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Okudah at Soldier Field, with the date Sep. 8, 2025, tied to a divisional opener in Chicago. Williams surveyed the field under early pressure as Minnesota's secondary challenged timing and spacing during first-half action. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton–Imagn Images
When Minnesota gets to the offseason, it absolutely needs a real third cornerback. The Okudah idea flopped.
He logged a 32.4 Pro Football Focus grade in 71 coverage snaps. Downright comical and bad.
Cornerback, on the whole, will become an enormous offseason need. The Vikings haven't successfully drafted a cornerback — all of them have ultimately failed — since 2015 and Trae Waynes .
2. Jonathan Allen | DT
Speaking of PFF grades, Allen has a poor one, too.
The guy who graded out at 84.9 at the peak of his powers in 2021 now has a 49.2 mark after 15 weeks. Minnesota signed Allen for $50 million over three seasons, and that deal looks silly in retrospect. Allen's PFF grade has not topped 70.0 in a single game this season; he hasn't had any notable performances.
His run defense is especially suspect, as PFF has assigned a 39.6 grade.
1. Adam Thielen | WR (PIT)
The Thielen reunion never really got off the ground. Minnesota pulled the trigger on a trade for him in late August, fueled by the familiar idea of bringing a trusted veteran back into the fold, but the return never matched the rationale. The deal sent mid-round future picks to Carolina and brought Thielen back alongside marginal draft considerations, a move that looked defensible on paper at the time.
The plan was simple enough: Thielen would bridge the gap as WR2 while Jordan Addison served a three-game suspension. That role never materialized. The usage wasn't there, the impact didn't follow, and the offense moved on almost immediately.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen celebrates a first down at U.S. Bank Stadium, with the date Sep. 14, 2025, falling during first-half action against Atlanta. Thielen punctuated the conversion with visible energy, reflecting his steady presence as Minnesota leaned on veteran reliability while navigating early-season adjustments on offense. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn–Imagn Images
By the time the dust settled, Thielen's contribution amounted to eight catches for 69 yards across the season — numbers so thin they barely registered. As the year progressed, Minnesota quietly stopped dressing him on Sundays altogether, an unmistakable signal that the experiment had run its course.
Looking back, it's hard to soften the evaluation. What felt like a smart, low-risk swing turned into a dead-end move with no real payoff. And if there was hope for a late revival elsewhere, it hasn't shown up. In Pittsburgh, Thielen has managed just two receptions over two games, reinforcing how abruptly the decline arrived.
When it was all said and done on the Thielen trade with Carolina, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looked silly.
