What if the Vikings Trade for a QB?
Thus far, throughout the offseason, the talk has been almost exclusively regarding one of three avenues for Minnesota at quarterback. They either re-sign Kirk Cousins, draft a quarterback in the first round, or trade up to get their guy. What if they just trade for an established veteran instead?
What if the Vikings Trade for a QB?
Plenty of draft fodder has come out regarding the potential that Minnesota may look to pay a king’s ransom in attempting to acquire the first overall pick from the Chicago Bears. That would give the Vikings a stab at either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, should they choose. An alternative, and likely less costly option, would be to acquire the Bears current quarterback. What if Justin Fields flourished in purple?
The tenure of the former Ohio State quarterback has been tumultuous, to say the least. Three years into his professional career, he has yet to establish himself as a consistent presence under center, and Chicago is in the position they are in largely because of his efforts. If they want an absolute haul for the first pick or are set on one of the prospects, then does it make sense to pivot to Fields?
It’s more than fair to categorize Fields’ first two seasons for Chicago as mediocre at best. He struggled to complete passes at a high clip and turned in middling TD/INT ratios. Last season looked to be more of the same until he got hot down the stretch and made the talk of moving him at least worth a discussion. Having had the best year of his career, albeit still leaving plenty to be desired, he is at least worth a second thought for anyone thinking they could elevate him to the next level.
To be fair, Fields has been paired with lacking talent for the majority of his career. It wasn’t until 2023 that Chicago finally got him a playmaking wide receiver in D.J. Moore, and the Bears have fielded a roster that has left them dead on arrival when the season kicks off relatively routinely. Putting Fields around better talent could help to take his game to the next level.
Minnesota would offer a substantial upgrade on the offensive side for Fields, and he would have a chance to face his former employer twice per season. It stands to reason that Chicago may be uninterested in allowing his next team to be a rival, but the same could be said about trading out of the top pick to the same organization.
Of course, the Vikings would be taking a sizable gamble that they could help develop Fields further than Chicago already has. Also, he will be in the fourth year of his rookie deal, and exercising the fifth-year option is the only relatively straightforward plan for future consistency. With Minnesota seeing the allure of a signal caller on a rookie contract, they would only get those benefits for a very short timeframe.
It’s unlikely this scenario will play out, and I’m not particularly fond of it, but the lack of discussion surrounding Fields as a trade target for Minnesota is somewhat surprising. There was smoke regarding Trey Lance last year, but the kindling hasn’t even sparked this time.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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