Written By: James H. KellettThe Six Vikings Stars to Look out for in Croker
As I’m sure you all know by now, the NFL regular season is coming to the island of Ireland for the first time this September and to say that there’s a lot of anticipation would be an understatement. The official announcement that the Steelers were the designated team for the first NFL Dublin game came on the 2nd February this year. Fans then had to wait for three months before finding out who their opponent would be, and I don’t think it could have gotten much better than hearing that the Vikings were coming to town. Add all of the hype together and it really isn’t a surprise that we saw over 600,000 people in virtual queues trying to grab tickets to this historic, blockbuster match-up on the Emerald Isle.
Today I’m going to highlight six stars donning Minnesota purple to look out for on the crisp, green turf of Croke Park on the 28th September. Let’s get into it.
Justin Jefferson, Wide Receiver
Jettas is the skill position player that I think almost every NFL fan in the world would love to see come to town and here in Ireland we are no different. The four time Pro-Bowler returned from injury last season to log 1,533 yards and ten touchdowns in seventeen games. Jefferson has not gone for less than 87.5 yards per game in any of his five seasons in the NFL, and that figure was in his rookie year. He’s a superstar right now and he will continue to be a superstar for years to come. JJ boasts the second largest wide receiver contract in league history, and his four-year $140 million pay packet kicks into effect this season. Jefferson will be aiming to add a touchdown in Dublin to his extensive accolade list, and we will all certainly be looking out for a Griddy or two on Irish soil.
Andrew Van Ginkel, Linebacker
Outside of Jefferson, AVG is my favourite player on the Vikings roster. He plays with ferocity on every single snap, and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has unlocked an incredible level of production out of a player he previously coached at the Dolphins. Van Ginkel logged a career high in combined tackles (79), tackles for loss (18), interceptions and defensive touchdowns (2) last season. The standout statistic though, is the 11.5 sacks that AVG added to the Vikings defense, which was a 5.5 sack jump from his previous season high. The long golden locks hanging out of the back of Van Ginkel’s helmet will make him easy to identify on the Vikings defensive unit, but his tenacity and relentless effort is what will make him stand out.
T.J. Hockenson, Tight End
Another man with sporting a flowing head of hair to keep an eye out for is T.J. Hockenson. At six feet and five inches tall, Hockenson’s going to be a very important part of rookie (let’s not split hairs here – he’s essentially a rookie) quarterback JJ McCarthy’s arsenal heading into this season. When healthy, T.J. is one of the best tight ends in the league and the Vikings will be hoping to keep him on the field for the full season this time around. He recovered to play for the second half of last season from a torn ACL that he suffered on Christmas Eve 2023, after setting career highs in receptions (95) and yards (960) in just fifteen games that same season. Don’t be surprised if number 87 is McCarthy’s main target through the first few games of the season despite Minnesota boasting an offense with star receivers in Jettas and Jordan Addison.
Jonathan Greenard, Defensive End
Jonathan Greenard entered free agency last summer after a career high in sacks (12.5) and tackles (36) with the Texans, and the Vikings were more than happy to pay him $76 million over four years and make him the star of their defensive line. Greenard and the aforementioned Andrew Van Ginkel made up quite the pass rushing combo throughout last season, with Greenard erupting for twelve sacks off the edge of the Minnesota defensive line and setting a new career high in tackles with 41. The entire Vikings’ defensive line will be a thing of beauty to behold on the Croke Park field as they have now added two former Pro-Bowlers, Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen to play alongside Greenard and seven year veteran Harrison Phillips.
Byron Murphy, Cornerback
Looking deeper into the defensive backfield, you will find another star of the Vikings roster at cornerback. The former Arizona Cardinals second round pick earned his first Pro Bowl selection last season, after a career high of six interceptions and 81 combined tackles. Murphy has played in two playoff games in his six year NFL career thus far with both ending up in losses, so he will certainly be hoping to add a playoff win to his resume this season. His five foot eleven inch frame is not something to be scoffed at and as soon as you see star corner lay down his first tackle, you’ll be straight onto the Murphy’s post-game in Byron’s honour.
Jordan Mason, Running Back
This one is a bit of a wildcard pick, but it is someone who I think will develop into one of the most important parts of the Minnesota offense this season. In 2024/25 the Vikings boasted the sixth best passing offense in the league by yards per game (237.8), but ranked nineteenth in the league when it came to rushing yards per game (109.1). While Aaron Jones is still an excellent talent, he will turn 31 this December and the mantle of starting back will have to be handed over sooner rather than later. Mason offered plenty of promise as the Christian McCaffrey replacement last season in San Francisco, going for 789 yards in twelve games and offering the 49ers 5.2 yards per carry in the process. The two-year $10.5 million deal that the Vikings gave Mason this offseason is an incredibly astute piece of business, and behind an excellent offensive line we may well see the fourth year back break off a big run or two on the Croke Park grass.
There will be so many more incredibly talented Vikings players for us all to admire in Dublin this September, but these six are the guys I would keep the sharpest eye out for.