How did the Vikings get here? A look back at the biggest moments of the season

March 11: Kirk Cousins agrees to terms with the Falcons

The first season-shaping event of the league year was the departure of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who agreed to a four-year deal worth $180 million with the Falcons on March 11 after he and the Vikings couldn’t come to an agreement that satisfied both parties.

Opinions were mixed at the time: Cousins had been doing well under head coach Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings went 13-4 their first season together, reaching the playoffs but losing in the wild-card round.

But Cousins was 35 at the time, and he’d suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in October 2023. The Vikings planned to add a rookie quarterback in the draft and had other roster needs to address with the money Cousins wanted.

March 13: Vikings sign five key players in free agency

When the free agency window officially opened, the Vikings made a flurry of signings, including the immediate answer to Cousins' departure in journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold.

They signed running back Aaron Jones from division rival Green Bay. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and linebacker Blake Cashman came from the Texans. Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel was added from the Dolphins.

That group of five, plus their families, joined O’Connell and a few other Vikings staff members for dinner at the Omni Viking Lake Hotel.

Reflecting on that night, O’Connell said on Dec. 17, it confirmed everything that he had hoped about landing not just the right guys for on the field, but off it, too.

Greenard told the Minnesota Star Tribune recently the night was “kind of a blur.”

Having just come off his rookie contract, he’d known nothing but Houston, the team that drafted him. He was struck by the ease with which everyone interacted. It didn’t feel like “just business,” even between the staff.

“It just felt like a vibe: ‘Wow. These guys actually give a damn about you,’” Greenard said. “I loved it. I knew then the relationship was only going to grow.”

April 25: Vikings trade up for two first-round draft picks

The Vikings made bold moves in the first round of the draft to acquire Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.

Minnesota traded the 11th, 129th and 157th picks to the Jets for the 10th pick and 203rd pick. The move allowed the Vikings to draft McCarthy as their first top 10 quarterback.

The Vikings traded up again about an hour later, packaging the 23rd pick, their fifth-round pick and two 2025 picks to Jacksonville to move up to No. 17 and draft Turner.

He hadn’t been expecting it. He said he smiled when he picked up the phone and heard O’Connell’s voice.

Two days later, the Vikings selected Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson (No. 108) and Alabama kicker Will Reichard (No. 203), among others, to fill out a seven-player class. They signed 17 undrafted free agents.

June 3: Vikings extend Justin Jefferson’s contract

Justin Jefferson and the Vikings wrapped nearly a yearlong negotiation on his contract just in time for the start of mandatory minicamp. He’d skipped the beginning of the offseason program just as he did in 2023.

The four-year, $140 million extension made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL and guarantees the star wide receiver will be in Minnesota through the 2028 season, providing some stability to an offense planning to switch to a young quarterback.

July 6: Khyree Jackson dies

Shortly after 3 a.m., the rookie cornerback and two high school teammates were killed in a three-car crash in Maryland, his home state. He was 24.

Less than a week later, wide receiver Jordan Addison was arrested on a suspicion of DUI in California.

On July 26, O’Connell spoke at Jackson’s funeral, which several Vikings coaches and players attended.

They returned for a somber start to training camp. O’Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah announced ways the team would honor Jackson, including helmet stickers and lapel pins.

Other ways of remembering Jackson have come naturally throughout the season, too.

“We talk about honoring him, the best way to do that was through a play style we were going to see from him,” Brian Flores said Tuesday. “Hopefully we’ve done that. I think he’s watching us, appreciative of the fact that we’re having a good time and playing that way.”

Aug. 6: Wilfs put off contract talks until after the season

Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf said contract talks for O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah would not occur until after the 2024 season. He said there was no “litmus test” for what would earn either an extension. Both are under contract through the 2025 season.

Aug. 14: McCarthy has season-ending knee surgery

Four days after completing 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Vikings' preseason opener against the Raiders on Aug. 10, McCarthy’s rookie season was over.

O’Connell announced during a joint practice with the Browns in Ohio that McCarthy had season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

It cranked the heat up on Darnold to perform.

Sept. 15: Vikings beat the 49ers

After a season-opening 28-6 win over the Giants, the Vikings hosted the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.

Projected by Star Tribune staff to finish no better than 9-8, it was their first real test. They passed, beating the 49ers 23-17.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever forget the noise that happened on the 97-yard touchdown to Justin [Jefferson] against the 49ers,” O’Connell said in December.

The game showed the Vikings' defensive prowess in Year 2 under Flores, too, with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy telling him postgame his “scheme is crazy.”

Oct. 6: Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus go viral

The Vikings beat the Texans and Packers before heading overseas at 4-0 to play the Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

It was an eventful week abroad, starting with the return of tight end T.J. Hockenson to practice after months on injured reserve recovering from a December 2023 knee injury.

Then, during the Vikings' 23-17 win against the Jets, safeties Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus recreated the handshake from “The Parent Trap.”

The celebration, which followed Bynum’s second interception of the season, went viral, received praise from Lindsay Lohan herself and set a precedent for must-watch celebrations through the rest of the season.

Oct. 20-24: Vikings drop first games of season

The Vikings’ undefeated start came skidding to a halt in late October following their bye week. They lost two games in the span of five days to the Lions at home and the Rams on the road.

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered season-ending ACL and MCL injuries in the loss to the Rams, and the Vikings traded the Jaguars for Cam Robinson on Oct. 29.

Hockenson made his return the following week against the Colts, and the Vikings rebounded with a 21-13 win on Sunday night.

Nov. 10: Darnold throws three interceptions against Jaguars

The Vikings started a three-game road trip in Jacksonville, barely eking out a 12-7 win over the Jaguars on a poor day for Darnold. Kicker Parker Romo, signed that week to replace the injured Reichard, scored all the Vikings' points in his NFL debut.

The game was a turning point of sorts for Darnold, who threw three interceptions and zero touchdowns.

“He’s ready to go to work,” O’Connell said the day after the game. “He’s ready to really diagnose exactly the what and the why of what took place and how he can be better, and that’s why I feel really confident that we’re going to go to work and improve.”

Nov. 13: McCarthy undergoes second surgery

O’Connell announced that McCarthy had undergone a second surgery to address swelling in his knee that arose during his rehabilitation. He said McCarthy’s recovery time remained on schedule.

Nov. 27: Vikings sign ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones

The Vikings expanded their quarterback room to five with the addition of former Giants starter Daniel Jones to their practice squad. Jones, who defeated in the Vikings in the playoffs of the 2022 season, had been benched and then released that week.

Dec. 8: Cousins returns to U.S. Bank Stadium

Nine months after his departure, Cousins came to U.S. Bank Stadium as an opponent. The Vikings beat the Falcons 42-21 to improve to 11-2.

With Cousins in a multigame skid — he lost his starting job to rookie Michael Penix in the following weeks — the loss solidified the Vikings' decision to not pay him.

It affirmed the decision on who they brought in, too, at least for this season, as Vikings fans chanted “MVP” when Darnold was shown on the video board late in the game.

Jan. 5: Lions win NFC North, beating Vikings again

With nine straight wins under their belt, the Vikings headed to Ford Field hungry for an NFC North title, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

They left as the conference’s fifth seed at 14-3, with a ticket West to face the fourth-seed Rams (10-7). External doubt has crept back in about Darnold’s ability to lead a playoff run after a flat performance.

Wildfires in Los Angeles County forced the NFL to move Monday night’s wild-card game from SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., adjusting travel plans and creating a more neutral playoff environment as the Vikings try to start a run.

To get exclusive analysis on the Vikings in your inbox every Friday, sign up for the free Access Vikings newsletter. Email your Vikings questions to accessvikings@startribune.com.