Everything hinged on what franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins was going to do. All the Vikings could do was sit back and wait to learn their fate once the clock struck 11 a.m. on Monday.

They had already talked at length with power agent Mike McCartney and submitted a significant offer with hopes of keeping his client in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. Was it going to be enough for Cousins? That was the question as the NFL’s legal tampering period opened up.

A couple of hours later, McCartney broke the news himself, confirming that Cousins had agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The numbers were staggering as McCartney somehow finessed a four-year, $180 million contract for Cousins, with a whopping $100 million guaranteed.

No chance the Vikings were going to match something like that.

“This sport isn’t such where we can just say on a binary basis, ‘I want that player,’ ” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “That doesn’t mean we didn’t compete for him. Just sometimes it gets to a place where that uncomfortable middle isn’t somewhere where we want to go.”

The uncomfortable middle is something that Adofo-Mensah has long talked about when it comes to contract negotiations. As important as it is to see both sides, there sometimes has been a line drawn in the sand. That appears to be what happened with the Vikings in this scenario.

“Sometimes things just don’t work out,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “As much as I would’ve maybe liked to have Kirk here, the right thing moving forward for our team is where we are today.”

The moves that followed featured the Vikings trying to turn the page as quickly as they could. They added a couple of edge rushers and a linebacker to bolster their defense, brought in a bridge quarterback and scooped up a running back from their biggest rival.

Will the Vikings be good next season? Maybe. Will the Vikings be different next season? Absolutely.

Here’s a look back on the 24 hours that pushed the Vikings into the future:

11:38 a.m. Monday

Vikings agree to terms with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. This actually happened before anything on Cousins surfaced on social media. It was pretty clear the Vikings prioritized adding talent to their defense in the league’s legal tampering period, and the 26-year-old Greenard was at the top of their list. The move made sense with star edge rusher Danielle Hunter on the way out.

1:26 p.m. Monday

In a post that has more than 5.4 million views, McCartney announced that Cousins had agreed to terms with the Falcons, effectively ending his tenure with the Vikings.

1:52 p.m. Monday

Vikings agree to terms with another edge rusher, Andrew Van Ginkel. Not even a half hour after the Vikings learned they had lost Cousins, they pressed on in their effort to improve their defense. The move to bring in the 28-year-old Van Ginkel aligned with the vision of giving defensive coordinator Brian Flores more talent to worth with moving forward.

2:18 p.m. Monday

Vikings agree to terms with linebacker Blake Cashman, a Minnesota native and former Gophers star. The focus on defense continued with the addition of a hometown kid. After a breakout season in 2023, Cashman comes to the Vikings with a chance to solidify himself as an impact player.

12:04 a.m. Tuesday

Vikings agree to terms with quarterback Sam Darnold. This happened while most people were asleep. Though it wasn’t the sexiest move on the surface, and certainly doesn’t make up for the loss of Cousins, the hope is that head coach Kevin O’Connell will be able to help get Darnold to the next level. He hasn’t had much success in his NFL career to this point. This is likely Darnold’s last chance to prove himself.

7:44 a.m. Tuesday

Vikings agree to terms with running back Aaron Jones. Less than 24 hours after the Green Bay Packers released Jones to save money, the Vikings swooped in to secure his services. If Jones can stay healthy, he will provide a jolt of life in a backfield that desperately needs it.

Related Articles

• Minnesota Vikings | Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold knows his role: ‘Just excited to be able to compete’

• Minnesota Vikings | Source: Vikings agree to terms with defensive tackle Jerry Tillery

• Minnesota Vikings | Harrison Smith agrees to restructured contract that keeps him with Vikings

• Minnesota Vikings | Vikings agree to terms with defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard

• Minnesota Vikings | Kirk Cousins says goodbye to Minnesota in video on social media