Not a whole lot is expected from the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2024 NFL campaign.
The Vikings have effectively entered rebuilding mode, as they allowed quarterback Kirk Cousins to walk via free agency and drafted J.J. McCarthy as his replacement.
Yes, Minnesota signed wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a contract extension, but with a rookie under center, the general consensus is that the Vikings will not be contending this coming season. Especially not in the rugged NFC North division.
But don’t tell that to safety Camryn Bynum.
Bynum has very high expectations going into 2024, and he isn’t afraid to discuss them.
“I expect a Super Bowl,” Bynum said during an appearance on The Insiders, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “Everybody says that, and everybody should say that. But you look at the guys on the team, you look at the locker room, all the experience we have. Look how much depth we have, especially on the defense. So many guys. It’s almost weird looking around, you’re like, okay how are we all going to get on the field? There’s just so many ballers.”
Bynum racked up 137 tackles, a half of a sack, a couple of interceptions, three forced fumbles and nine passes defended last year.
Can the Vikings really contend in 2024?
Don’t get it twisted: Minnesota won’t exactly be a pushover.
The Vikings do have some nice weapons on the offensive side of the ball in Jefferson and fellow wide out Jordan Addison. You can also include tight end T.J. Hockenson from the miss, although he is recovering from a torn ACL and probably won’t be ready to return until midseason.
Plus, while Minnesota did lose superstar edge rusher Danielle Hunter, it added Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to fill the void he left.
The Vikings managed to go 7-10 last season with Cousins missing half the year due to a torn Achilles, so it’s not like this is a terrible football team.
However, the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears all figure to be better than Minnesota in the NFC North. You then have other in-conference squads like the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles who will all be vying for a Super Bowl berth.
Maybe the Vikings will surprise some people in 2024, but it just seems hard to imagine them making a serious push for a championship.
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