Another Wild Vikings Theory from Former NFL GM
In March, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum suggested the Minnesota Vikings could trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Another Wild Vikings Theory from Former NFL GM
That theory turned out wrong, and Minnesota drafted J.J. McCarthy. Now, Tannenbaum has another wild quarterback theory for the purple team — a deal to acquire Russell Wilson from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“A win-win here is to trade Russell Wilson to Minnesota. I think he’s a better quarterback than Sam Darnold. They certainly can battle it out,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday.
Minnesota will showcase Darnold at QB1 this season after the aforementioned McCarthy tore his meniscus during the first preseason game. The Vikings’ coaching staff has spent all summer preparing Darnold for the assignment, so trading for Wilson would certainly be bold and untimely for his theoretical understanding of the offense. Head coach Kevin O’Connell doesn’t necessarily utilize a simple scheme.
Tannenbaum added, “Unfortunately for Minnesota history is repeating itself. We go back to 2016, Teddy Bridgewater had a catastrophic injury at practice. Sam Bradford gets traded from the Eagles to the Vikings.”
For context, this is the Vikings’ quarterback room at the moment:
- Sam Darnold
- J.J. McCarthy (IR)
- Nick Mullens
- Jaren Hall
- Matt Corral
A Wilson trade would only make sense, generally speaking, if Darnold followed McCarthy to injured reserve or massively struggled in September and October.
Wilson recorded 26 touchdown passes to 8 interceptions in 15 starts last season, while Denver banked a 7-8 record on his watch. In December, according to BetOnline.ag, the Vikings were the odds-on favorite to land Wilson when free agency kicked off in March. Moreover, Tannenbaum’s Wilson theory isn’t the first time a prominent outfit has mentioned him as a Viking.
In February, ESPN’s Seth Walder explained how the Vikings could end up with Wilson and rookie passer Bo Nix: “Let’s call this Wilson plus Oregon’s Bo Nix. Cousins might end up back in Minnesota, but I could see the Vikings balking at giving him a multiyear guaranteed contract. If he’s out of the picture, Wilson is probably the next-best short-term solution. (I’m assuming the Bears wouldn’t deal Justin Fields inside their division.)”
“But don’t be surprised if the Vikings go after multiple players to fill Cousins’ void. If they do, acquiring Wilson and drafting a QB at No. 11 makes the most sense,” Walder concluded.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also predicted the Vikings as a Wilson landing spot in mid-January.
Therefore, Wilson to Minnesota is a rather popular sentiment — then and now. Yet, with Darnold fully ready for QB1 and Mullens waiting as QB2, trading assets for Wilson just isn’t realistic unless another major injury emerges.
The 2012-2021 version of Wilson, of course, would be a different story.
Vikings Waive 2 Players
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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