For months, the video monitors in the Vikings' practice facility had displayed players' daily schedule: weightlifting and recovery sessions, team meetings, walk-throughs, practices. On Monday, the daily agenda was gone, replaced only by the "Our team, our way, our process" shield graphic coach Kevin O'Connell commissioned before his first season.
The lights in the Vikings' indoor fieldhouse were a little dimmer than usual, the halls eerily quiet as players exited team meetings and departed to begin their offseasons. Less than 24 hours earlier, they'd kicked off their second-ever home playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium with noise levels eclipsing 120 decibels. Their 31-24 loss to the Giants, though, ended all their plans and stilled their excitement.
O'Connell reminded players in an exit meeting of all the 2022 Vikings accomplished: Becoming the third team in franchise history to win 13 games in the regular season, claiming the team's first NFC North title since 2017 and setting an NFL record with 11 one-score wins. But an uncertain offseason lies ahead, with four defensive starters from Sunday's game set to hit free agency and a handful of franchise fixtures possibly in line to depart.
The Vikings' final task of the 2022 season, then, was to say some goodbyes and keep both surprising achievements and a sudden exit in perspective.
"You could call it a good season. I wouldn't call it a success," wide receiver Justin Jefferson said. "Everybody wants to get to the Super Bowl. That's the success of the season. You can say you had a good run at the Super Bowl and where you wanted to go and where the future could bring you. That's not exactly what we wanted, but it's definitely good to look back on that and seeing the good things out of it."
Jefferson, who has a good chance at NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league in catches (128) and receiving yards (1,809), could also be one of the Vikings' biggest offseason stories. He is eligible to receive a contract extension before his fourth season and could command a deal worth more than $30 million per season.
He said Monday the contract discussion "comes with the success," adding, "They pay me whatever they pay me. They don't even really have to give me an extension this year. It's not really something I'm worried about.
"I want to win a Super Bowl. That's the thing I'm most focused on."