Every year, this exercise offers a reset. Last season vanished from the rearview mirror, and the chaotic energy of free agency and the draft is gone. Our annual Minnesota Vikings fan survey allows us to take a deep breath. It holds a mirror up to your feelings, opinions and expectations.Last year, the responses reflected great hope. This time around, the reaction revealed a familiar tentativeness.You want to buy in, but something is holding you back. Past hurt, perhaps, or a troubling area of the 2026 roster, such as overall depth or quarterback play.“I’m optimistic,” one respondent wrote. “But, being a lifelong Vikings fan, I’m also terrified.”What we learned at Nolan Teasley's introductory news conferenceAlec LewisA sense of cautious positivity — or maybe hopeful skepticism — dominated the survey answers. Some seemed aware of their own hype. Others cited their decades-long history of fandom as a reason to question what’s possible.Three subjects garnered the most attention in the “final thought” portion of the feedback: the quarterback position, head coach Kevin O’Connell and the team’s constant pursuit of winning without bottoming out. All of these categories inspired strong takeaways, many of which we’ll get to.Broadly, confidence in the Vikings’ direction took a hit in 2025. This affected the level of trust in the ownership group, O’Connell and young quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota’s decision to fire general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and replace him with longtime Seattle Seahawks executive Nolan Teasley generated renewed faith in the overall process.Still, one survey taker described the upcoming season this way: “A prove-it year on all fronts for all involved.”This taxed fan base, still committed enough to maintain a semblance of positivity, wants playoff proof in return for its investment. That became clear from the 3,092 survey participants. Here is the full breakdown of fan sentiment with three weeks until training camp begins:We have asked about your overall confidence for four years in a row. Therefore, the results provide a useful starting point for gauging fans' temperature compared to past seasons.Confidence trended upward from 2023 to 2025. Last summer, more than 61 percent of the respondents gave a 5, the highest in the history of this survey. That figure fell dramatically in 2026. It's not so much that Vikings fans don't believe in their team. It's more that the disappointment of last season's 9-8 roller coaster chiseled away at a deeper conviction."We are definitely at the wait-and-see stage again," one respondent suggested.Another wrote: "There's something missing. I just don't know what it is."The uncertain future at quarterback plays a prominent role in the year-over-year downturn in confidence. Before 2025, there was plenty of excitement swirling around J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings deepened their quarterback room this offseason, but how it'll play out remains a puzzle. Who will be under center in 2027 and beyond? There's no consensus answer.Solve the never-ending riddle at that position ahead of the 2027 survey, and the perspective on the team's direction could shoot back up to 2025 levels.The same effect goes for Super Bowl potential. Less than 38 percent of survey participants think the Vikings will win the Lombardi Trophy in the next five years, a number that seems somewhat tame given the organization's history.Putting the feelings about the franchise's leadership together felt like the correct move. They work as a team, after all, and all will share in the credit or blame depending on the outcome of the season.