The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of work to do in the offseason if they are going to be competitive in the NFC North going forward.

They have a number of questions they must address in the offseason, and the three biggest issues concern Kirk Cousins and the quarterback position, superstar wideout Justin Jefferson and edge rusher Danielle Hunter.

The Cousins question appears to be the biggest issue — and the most expensive. Cousins suffered a torn Achilles during the season and missed more than half the season. He was performing quite well at the time of the injury and had led the Vikings to a Monday night victory over the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

While one big game against an elite opponent doesn’t erase Cousins’ reputation for struggling in prime time games and against top-level opponents, he was turning some opinions around.

Through 12 years in the NFL, including 6 years with the Vikings, Cousins has gained a reputation as one of the NFL’s most accurate passers. Prior to his injury, Cousins completed 216 of 311 passes for 2,331 yards with 18 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

The Vikings have to decide if they are going to try to bring Cousins back in 2024. While he is respected and liked throughout the organization, his salary could be prohibitive for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Jefferson and Hunter are vital for the Vikings in 2024
Justin Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in football. He will be entering his fifth season in the league in 2024, and there is little doubt that he can change the momentum in any game by making a spectacular catch that would be impossible for nearly any other receiver.

Jefferson has one more year to go on his rookie contract, and it would be in the Vikings best interest to make sure they get his signature on a long-term deal. If they don’t do that before the start of the season, Jefferson could be a free agent a year from now. It makes a great deal of sense to get this deal done sooner rather than later.

The Vikings made some improvements on defense this season with Brian Flores in the role of defensive coordinator. There is little doubt that Danielle Hunter was Flores’ best player during the season.

The edge rusher had a career-best 16.5 sacks, and while the Vikings still have a long way to go before they have a dominant defense, they need to keep Hunter in the fold.

Hunter will be a free agent at the start of the new league year. He has got to be a priority if the Vikings are going to have any realistic chance of fighting for a division title in 2024.

Trading for top players
The Vikings have been a soft team on defense for several seasons. While they showed quite a bit of improvement through the three-quarter mark of the season, the Vikings were unable to sustain their defensive play in the final weeks of the season.

While Hunter showed big-play ability and has the strength and power to dominate, his teammates did not come close to matching him in that area.

If Flores and the Vikings are going to be successful, they should trade for solid veteran players like Jeffrey Simmons of the Tennessee Titans and Matthew Judon of the New England Patriots.

Simmons finished the season with 44 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 10 takcles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. He is an excellent defensive tackle who can clog the middle and overpower opponents.

Judon is one of the best linebackers in the NFL, but he played in just four games last season because of a torn biceps. He had 13 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 5 tackles for loss before he suffered the injury.

Both Simmons and Judon are the kind of players who can provide leadership on the field and in the locker room. Instead of being a defense that gets pushed around, they can help turn the Vikings into a rock-solid unit that stops opponents cold at the most important times.

Critical offseason for the Vikings
While both Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have professed their admiration for Cousins, letting him go and drafting a top quarterback in this year’s draft may be the way to go.

That would give the Vikings a greater opportunity to sign Jefferson and Hunter, and also trade for dominant defensive players like Simmons and Judon who can turn the Minnesota defense around.