It has been a decade of regular-season highs and postseason lows for fans of the Minnesota Vikings, just as folks hoping for Minnesota sports betting options have seen ups and downs. The Viking have four playoff appearances since 2014 with a 2-4 record in those postseason appearances. Minnesota lost its lone NFC Championship game appearance during that stretch, a 38-7 rout to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 season.
On the flip side, the Vikings have amassed four double-digit win seasons since 2014, including 13-win years in 2017 and 2022, showing how close they’ve come to being a dominant team in the NFC North since 2014.
With the offseason in full swing, we take a step back and look at some fun historic takes on the NFL franchise – like the popular “Mount Rushmore” concept in which fans try to figure out which four faces belong at the top of that team’s annals.
Using Pro-Football-Reference.com, MinnesotaBets (where the best Minnesota sportsbook promo codes can be found for future reference) developed the Minnesota Vikings’ Mount Rushmore of the past decade from 2014-2024. To qualify, a player must play at least three years with the Vikings in that span. The ratings are based on Approximate Value.
Minnesota Vikings Mount Rushmore of Last Decade: 2014-2024
Which Vikings Deserve Mount Rushmore Acclaim?
The Vikings’ most valuable player since 2014, as measured by approximate value at Pro-Football-Reference.com, has been first-round draft pick Harrison Smith. The safety has amassed 87 AV across 176 NFL games between 2012 and 2023. The former Notre Dame standout has spent his entire career with Minnesota.
Smith, who was drafted 29th overall in 2012, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and was named NFL All-Pro in 2017 and 2018, after intercepting eight passes and finishing with 162 tackles in those campaigns combined.
His 78 AV since 2014 beat out longtime Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins (73 AV) and defensive ends Danielle Hunter (70 AV) and Everson Griffen (49 AV) for the top spot in Vikings’ recent lore. Cousins had the highest career AV total (116 AV) for his career to date, but he has not spent his whole career in Minnesota.
Cousins, drafted out of Michigan State by Washington in 2012, has thrown for 39,471 yards in 150 NFL games. He has made four Pro Bowl teams (three since joining the Vikings in 2018) and was named Pro Football Writers Association Most Improved Player in 2015.
Hunter has been a tour de force on the line in his 119-game career, all with the Vikings, since Minnesota drafted him out of LSU. He has 87.5 sacks, 316 solo tackles and 11 forced fumbles, enough to earn four Pro Bowl appearances and an NFL All-Pro team inclusion in 2018.
Griffen was equally successful in the trenches after being a fourth-round pick in 2010. He had an AV of 76 as a member of the Vikings from 2010 to 2021; in the time frame considerwed for this list, his AV from 2014-21 was 49.
The USC alum finished his 170-game NFL career with 85.5 sacks, 403 tackles, 97 tackles for loss, 200 QB hits and two interceptions. Those numbers put him in good company atop the Vikings’ Mount Rushmore of stars of the last decade.
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