Dec 17, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) celebrates the win against the Indianapolis Colts after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. With the win, the Minnesota Vikings clinched the NFC North. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the July 4th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to DustinBakerNFL@gmail.com.
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Answer: We believe the possibility is realistic, but, no, it probably won’t happen.
The Panthers have two new wide receivers this season, Diontae Johnson and Xavier Lagette, who will cut into Thielen’s workload. He won’t be featured as a WR1 like last year, and if Carolina wants to fully lean into the Johnson and Lagette era, sure, it could trade Thielen this month or next.
Yet, like any trade or free-agent signing, it’s a crapshoot to predict “this will probably happen” with 32 teams in play.
Let’s put it this way: if Thielen is traded anywhere this summer, it will probably be to the Vikings, a team that outwardly needs a WR3.
Answer: Trade back and then grab an impact defensive tackle.
Minnesota hasn’t featured a high-profile defensive tackle (non-nose-tackle) since Kevin Williams, and he last worked for the Vikings in 2013. Yes, it’s been that long.
Early mock drafts — that will, of course, change wildly in the next nine months — claim Minnesota will explore Michigan DT Mason Graham, which would be pretty sweet. But first, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should trade back once or twice to recoup some draft picks. He spent big on Dallas Turner a couple of months ago, and the 2025 draft piggybank is now barren.
The easiest way to retake some draft capital is trading back next April, almost like a domino or snowball effect.
A: No.
Will Reichard will be productive, and the Vikings are wildly overdue for a homegrown kicker to pan out. The last guy was Blair Walsh, and folks forget he was quite wonderful — until he wasn’t.
And before Walsh, it was Ryan Longwell, a defector from the Green Bay Packers, who stabilized the Vikings’ kicking game beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Yes, Joseph drilled some sweet kicks, but he basically didn’t “suck that much” during other game portions. The standard should be to find a kicker who can do it all: hit clutch kicks, connect on normal ones, and convert extra points and a steady clip. Joseph failed the test on the final two.
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 MIN 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.