For the second time in the 2018 calendar year, Vikings players cleaned out their lockers on Monday, lamenting missed opportunities as they stuffed personal belongings into boxes and bags.
The first time came in the team's spartan facility in Eden Prairie, a day after the Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia. That the Vikings were doing it again before the start of the 2018 playoffs, in their spacious new accommodations in Eagan, created a sour coda for a season that began with stratospheric expectations.
The Vikings largely preached stability on Monday, with players backing coach Mike Zimmer as the man to lead them forward.