Despite a 14-3 regular season, the Minnesota Vikings clearly saw some deficiencies on their roster following the wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Minnesota has been methodical in its approach to address those areas in free agency.

That’s included splash signings to bolster the interior of their offensive and defensive lines, re-signing their top corner and bringing another into the fold and bringing back their starting running back and legendary safety. They did lose last year’s starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, to the Seattle Seahawks, but they appear to be confident in the abilities of their young gunslinger in J.J. McCarthy. But all accounts, the Vikings have excelled in free agency and built an excellent roster.

Well, almost all accounts. Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd apparently isn’t too impressed with the Vikings’ big additions in free agency. Despite adding big names like Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to a roster that won 14 games and beat every team they faced not named the Detroit Lions or Rams, Cowherd thinks the Vikings’ roster is the weakest in the NFC North, and he predicts Minnesota to finish last in the tough division in 2025. You heard that right.

“NFC North. This is the toughest division, for me, in football,” Cowherd said on his FS1 show, The Herd, on Thursday during a segment where he predicted the division winners and all the playoff teams in the NFC for the 2025 season. “The Lions have the best roster, I’ll pick them one. The Vikings have the worst roster, I’ll pick them four.”

Now, it’s hard to argue against the Lions having the best roster or that they’ll repeat as division champs. They’re certainly the front-runners after a dominant 15-2 season that included sweeping the NFC North; they return a lot of their core roster and will likely be a force to be reckoned with. But it’s tough to make an argument the Vikings have the worst roster. Sure, they were weak on the interior of the offensive and defensive lines last year — but that’s what they addressed in free agency. They have the same top-notch offensive weapons. Most of the impact players on defense are back, too.

Cowherd is a noted fan of Darnold, who had a resurgent year last year in Minnesota. McCarthy still remains an unknown. Had Cowherd made the argument he doesn’t trust McCarthy, that could be fair. McCarthy hasn’t proved anything yet, and he’ll have high expectations on his shoulders as a top draft pick on a good team if he enters 2025 as the starting QB.

But worst roster?

“Chicago’s got a tough road schedule, no question, but they literally went and got Pro Bowlers on their interior O-line, and again, if they can get a running back with their first pick,” Cowherd said. “The coaching upgrade in Chicago, from what they were to what they are, is gonna be like the quarterback upgrade from Will Levis to Cam Ward. It’s gonna change outcomes. I have Chicago second. Here’s — Green Bay is tough for me because I’ve got to be totally honest about this: I really fell for Jordan Love. But last year against playoff teams, dude completed 60% of his throws with a passer rating of 81 and was 2-6. In the building at the end of the year, I watched the way they coached him, I think they lost some confidence in him, so I think Bears-Packers is down to the final week of the year to figure out who gets into the playoffs.”

There are certainly a number of scenarios the Vikings could end up last in the division. Perhaps McCarthy isn’t as good as advertised or ends up injured. Injuries could pile up elsewhere and leave the Vikings short-handed at another critical position. But if the Vikings end up last in the NFC North, it won’t be because they have the worst roster. Frankly, aside from the Super Bowl champions and the Lions, there aren’t many rosters right now you could argue are better than the Vikings.