Some longtime Vikings stars departed from the organization in the 2023 offseason. The Vikings released Adam Thielen after ten seasons with the club, and the receiver signed a deal with the Carolina Panthers and will face the Vikings in 2023. His contract was getting too expensive for the level of play he provided.
In addition to Thielen, the fate of Eric Kendricks was similar. Kendricks was a starter since 2015 but slowed down lately, and the $9.5 million cap savings were too much to pass up. The two weren’t the only Vikings stars who will play for a different team in the future, as Dalvin Tomlinson and Patrick Peterson left in free agency after their contract expired.