The Wilf family is entering their 19th season as owners of the Vikings.
The franchise has had nine winning seasons, seven losing ones and two .500 finishes in that time. They also have won five NFC North titles, including last season under first-year coach Kevin O’Connell.
Success in the playoffs has been another matter. The Vikings’ loss to the New York Giants in the opening round last season dropped Minnesota’s playoff record to 3-7 since the Wilfs took over in 2005. That includes losses to the Saints and Eagles in the 2009 and 2017 NFC title games, respectively.
So how does co-owner Mark Wilf feel about this team?
“Certainly, very exciting,” he said of the upcoming season. “Traditionally, we’ve always have high expectations, but I can tell you we remain really confident in our leadership here. Coach O’Connell and Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah, the team’s general manager) have really set a great culture here and we’re fully supportive of it and excited to see how now in the second season it’s really taken hold here. The players have taken it on and I think there’s a great energy about us.”
The Vikings co-owner talked about Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson’s contract situations, expanded on his expectations for the team and also discussed plans to honor the late Bud Grant on Thursday.
Wilf on Jefferson's contract: "We're certainly aware of it with the magnitude of this one"
The Vikings have star wide receiver Justin Jefferson under contract for two more seasons but he became eligible for a lucrative extension this offseason and dialogue between Jefferson’s representative and the Vikings has begun.
Wilf called Jefferson “a special person,” adding, “we’re excited for the future with Justin Jefferson. I think any team would say that and certainly we’re very happy to be the ones that have him on our roster.”
While the Wilfs might not ordinarily get involved in contract talks, Jefferson’s will be unique because it is likely to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Wilf acknowledged “it’s fair to say” ownership will be involved in the contract talks.
“Certainly Kwesi and Rob Brzezinski (the Vikings’ salary cap boss) and coach, everyone’s working together on the contract,” Wilf said, “but we’re certainly aware of it with the magnitude of this one. And in general we’re certainly aware, certainly involved and Justin Jefferson, we want him to stay as a Minnesota Viking.”
Wilf on Cousins' contract: We'll leave that to GM and coach "to work through those discussions"
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is being allowed to play in the final season of his contract for the first time since joining the Vikings in 2018.
Wilf, asked if he wants Cousins around past 2023, said: “We’ll leave that to Kwesi and coach to work through those discussions. There are always conversations and that but our real focus is 100 percent on 2023 and getting where we need to be and to where I know we can be.”
As for the present, Wilf, not surprisingly, expressed confidence in the veteran.
“We feel great about the quarterback situation,” he said. “Kirk’s an outstanding leader, he’s led this team incredibly these past few years and we’re looking for great things from him in 2023. I know there’s discussions all the time on all of these topics, especially quarterback, and I know Kwesi and coach are always communicating with Kirk and everybody but we’re really happy to have him lead our team.”
Wilf: "It's always been, our ultimate goal is to bring Super Bowl championships to Minnesota"
With the Wilfs nearing 20 years of ownership, Mark was asked if there is more immediacy to finally bring a Super Bowl championship to a franchise that was born in 1961 and hasn’t been to a Super Bowl since it lost its fourth during the 1976 season.
“As we’ve said from day one, it’s always been, our ultimate goal is to bring Super Bowl championships to Minnesota,” he said. “As ownership, our obligation is to make sure to provide the resources, have the leadership here to make that happen. We feel really good about that, we feel we’re in a good direction, so that’s how we’re approaching (it). We have high expectations, as always, and we love the direction of this team.”
Asked what he felt the duo of O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah can do that the Wilfs’ previous general managers and coaches didn’t get done, Wilf said:
“Our expectations is to win divisions and from winning divisions winning championships. I think we are well set up to make great, great steps in that direction this year and hopefully get that done.
“We have tremendous confidence in our leadership and I think, like any team, that’s a big part of it. And, of course, our players. We have great veteran leadership, great new young blood here to help make this team coalesce in a way that’s really going to work out.”
Plans to honor Bud Grant during the 2023 season
Wilf said the Vikings will honor legendary coach Bud Grant this season by wearing a “Bud” signature patch on their new classic uniforms for the Sept. 10 opener against Tampa Bay and the team will wear a helmet stick with the same signature for the remainder of the season.
Grant, who coached the Vikings from 1967 to 1983 and again in 1985, led the franchise to four Super Bowls. He died on March 11 at the age of 1995.
“No single individual more defined Minnesota sports and the Minnesota Vikings brand than Coach Grant,” Wilf said. “It’s impossible to describe the impact that he’s had on the Vikings and the community. I know as owners we cherished the nearly 18 years with Bud. We got to know him on a personal level and it was a tremendous loss for the organization and, of course, the entire state of Minnesota.”
Wilf said building a statue of Grant that would be placed outside U.S. Bank Stadium isn’t yet under consideration.
“Certainly we’re always thinking of ways to honor not just Bud but all our great history, all our great alumni,” Wilf said. “Coach Grant certainly represents that so we’ll be thinking of all those kind of things.”
