Vikings Trade Price May Not Be Too Brutal
On Wednesday, Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort provided the Minnesota Vikings with a sideways fail-safe plan — an insurance policy.
Vikings Trade Price May Not Be Too Brutal
Asked by reporters if he’d be willing to trade down from Arizona’s No. 4 spot, Ossenfort didn’t hold back. “There will be a big neon sign that says ‘open.’ I don’t like it blinking — that kind of messes with my eyes — but we’ll always have the conversation. We may not get to the point where the deal makes sense, whether it’s at 4 or anywhere we’re picking, but we’re always going to have the conversation,” the executive said.
This means the Vikings — almost no matter what — can climb to the draft’s No. 4 overall pick and secure one of the Top 4 quarterbacks. For now, that feels like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Ossenfort added, “And if it makes sense and it’s attractive to building our team, then it’s something we’ll certainly consider no matter where we’re at in the draft.”
Correspondingly — probably because Ossenfort put those comments out in the atmosphere — Bleacher Report spitballed trade ideas for the Cardinals on Thursday. The Vikings were predictably in the mix. BR’s Gary Davenport claimed a Vikings-Cardinals trade for the pick could look like this:
Cardinals Get:
2024 Round 1 Pick (No. 11); 2024 Round 1 Pick (No. 23)
Vikings Get:
2024 Round 1 Pick (No. 4); 2024 Round 6 Pick (No. 186)
Ask any Vikings fan, and this would be a steal of a deal for the No. 4 pick, or in layman’s terms, J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye.
Davenport added, “There has been speculation galore from the moment the Vikings acquired the 23rd overall pick from Houston that it was ammunition to trade up for a quarterback. It’s entirely possible that the Vikings’ plan is to move even higher up the board.”
Minnesota has also been linked to the New England Patriots at No. 3 as a trade partner, though it is unclear if New England will move off its pick. We shall see.
“But if the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots aren’t willing to sacrifice their chance to draft a quarterback and Minnesota really is that desperate, the Vikings may have to take what they can get and (likely) grab McCarthy at No. 4. The best part of this deal? That sixth-rounder that was thrown in originally belonged to the Vikings,” Davenport concluded.
From the moment Minnesota procured an additional 1st-Rounder about a week ago — it cost two 2nd-Rounders and a late-round pick swap — Vikings fans have cynically expected the next trade to involve three 1st-Rounders, probably to the Patriots for the aforementioned Maye.
But McCarthy from the Cardinals for “only” two 1st-Rounders would feel quite spiffy.
The NFL Draft is five weeks away.
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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