2022 Team Captains

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings on Monday announced eight players will be season-long captains for 2022.

The group includes seven players who have previously served as captains, as well as a veteran who will hold the honor for the first time. Teammates’ votes determined Vikings captains.

First-year Head Coach Kevin O’Connell said 20 different Vikings players received votes.

“I mean, that’s across offense, defense and special teams – that’s something that I don’t know if I’ve been around, quite honestly, to have that kind of view of our team from their teammates,” O’Connell said Monday. “But we have four offensive captains – Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Brian O’Neill and Adam Thielen. Three defensive captains in Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson. And then we have a special teams captain that also received some offensive votes in C.J. Ham. Feel really, really good about not only that group but, as I mentioned, 20 players – and those are just the eight of them that received the most votes.”

Beyond the publicly named captains, O’Connell also has implemented a leadership council that he meets with weekly to go over scheduling, meals and other topics that enable the players to help O’Connell “gauge the pulse of our team throughout the season.”

“Sometimes you get so wrapped up in Xs and Os and the individual sides of the ball that I need to make sure I remember that the most important thing in my role is our team and our players – and there’s no better way to stay connected to those guys than that group,” O’Connell said.Here is who will be donning the “C” for the Vikings this season (players listed alphabetically):

Cook will be a captain for the third straight year. A three-time Pro Bowler, Cook has plenty of talent, but he is known just as much for his work ethic and his enthusiastic encouragement of teammates.