Vikings Listed as Contestant for Blockbuster Trade
Dustin Baker
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In a week or so, the Minnesota Vikings may be QB1-less for the first time since spring 2018.
Vikings Listed as Contestant for Blockbuster Trade
Kirk Cousins is scheduled to hit free agency, and in the last couple of days, his path out of Minnesota feels more realistic than ever. The Atlanta Falcons are among the alleged top suitors for Cousins, who turns 36 in August.
And if Cousins walks, Minnesota will need a QB1, presumably from the 2024 NFL Draft, or a trade for a passer like Justin Fields. The former is significantly more likely than Fields or a different veteran quarterback trade.
According to ESPN, too, the Vikings are among teams inquiring about a ginormous trade up the draftboard in April. Jeremy Fowler wrote last weekend, “Washington has received trade inquiries from teams on the No. 2 pick. While they might not be hard, actionable offers, the interest in moving up is there. Among teams that could be on the QB radar are the Giants (No. 6), Falcons (No. 8), Vikings (No. 11) and Raiders (No. 13). That said, I would be surprised if Washington moved off the pick.”
The Vikings probably cannot pry the first overall pick away from the Chicago Bears — it will be expensive, and Chicago likely won’t barter with an intradivisional foe — but in theory, the Commanders at No. 2 and New England Patriots at No. 3 could be open for business.
In this year’s draft, Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), and Bo Nix (Oregon) are expected to go off the board in Rounds 1 and 2. Should Minnesota covet Williams, Maye, or Daniels, a trade into the Top 3 or Top 5 is probably mandatory.
Otherwise, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could stick-and-pick at No. 11 for Penix Jr. or Nix. McCarthy is the wildcard at the moment, possibly hearing his name called in April inside the Top 10 or sliding into Round 2. Stay tuned.
The price for a blockbuster Vikings’ trade? Oofta. Getting to the Patriots’ spot would probably require two 1st-Rounders and two 2nd-Rounders. And even that may be insufficient, especially if multiple teams, as mentioned by Fowler, are making the phone calls.
Ultimately, if the Vikings “trade the farm” for Maye or Daniels, and the nominee turns out to be a Top 10 NFL quarterback, nobody will care about the cost of the trade. For context, if Minnesota conducts the big trade and the draftee stinks, well, the draft picks will return around the time everyone realizes the guy is a bust.
So, fasten your seatbelts. Minnesota is in the mix to trade up the board, a theory that will fly to the moon if Cousins signs with the Falcons or elsewhere. Then it’s a matter of watching if the Vikings have the oomph to pull the trigger among a handful of other suitors.
Long-Time Viking Says Goodbye
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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