Vikings Announce 2023 Team Captains

Congratulations to them!

In the world of professional football, leadership plays a massive role in shaping the trajectory of a team’s success. The Minnesota Vikings have upheld this tradition by annually naming team captains and these appointed leaders exemplify the values, dedication, and skills that define the Vikings pursuit of a championship.

First is Captain Kirk. Cousins was reportedly the only one on the team who didn’t vote for himself. Now that’s a captain. Regardless of what every other fan base thinks of Cousins, the Vikings have been pretty lucky to have such a tough, durable, level headed QB over the years. Since signing Cousins in 2018, he has posted a 46-33-1 record. He has carried some pretty bad defenses at times, let’s hope he get’s more help this year.

Justin Jefferson is up next. JJ is slowly becoming the face of the NFL. 99 overall in Madden 24 and just an overall walking highlight reel. JJ is on pace for a record career and with his captain in crime, him and Cousins will undoubtedly be cooking more defenses this year. Easy pick for one of the team’s captain spots.

Brian O’Neil is the third team captain of you Minnesota Vikings. A young tackle who has quietly and constantly gotten better year after year. A true gentle giant, O’Neil turns nasty on the football field. The way he presents himself off of the field may not seem intimidating, he plays with controlled aggression and can wash away the opposing teams best edge rusher. Solid choice for captain’s selection and probably the first guy off of the bus.

Danielle Hunter is coming off of a 10.5 sack year last year and a fresh new contract. Danielle isn’t much of an emotional leader like O’Neil, he likes to let his play speak for him. Be on the look out for a massive season for Hunter in what will be yet another contract year.

Jordan Hicks is our next team captain. Hicks called all of the plays defensively last year and he earned his way to be a team captain for the team last year. Hicks will be teaching a young linebacking core with Brian Asamoah and Ivan Pace behind him and the team clearly thinks he is the man for the job. Hicks can get exposed in the pass game at time but his football IQ, stout tackling, and his ability to make plays in the run game make up for it.

Harrison Smith is next. An obvious choice to be team captain yet again. Year after year, Harrison comes to work and has one thing on his mind. Win. Another obvious choice for team captain, he definitely deserves it in what could be his last year of football.

CJ Ham. AKA Hammer Time. Yet another quite obvious choice to be team captain for his third consecutive year. An all around good guy, and maybe even better football player. His ability to block, run, and catch have kept him on this team for years. He loves the game of football and you can see how passionate he is when he plays. Awesome pick.

While Josh Metellus has displayed his terrific play during special teams last year, he gets a captains spot this year, and with Brian Flores’ 3 safety packages, Metellus may see a lot more playing time. TBD if he will capitalize on his opportunity, but he is the leader of the special teams and like most of the others, Metellus has a very high football IQ and plays with a ton of passion so this pick just makes sense.

In the Vikings organization, the naming of team captains is more than a formality; it’s a strategic decision that shapes the team’s identity and influences it’s performance as a whole. These leaders, both on and off the field, play an integral role in steering the team towards success and cementing their legacy in Vikings history.