Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah the team's year-end press conference for the 2022 season after losing to the New York Giants in the playoffs.
The trade deadline in football is hardly the same as in other sports. In Major League Baseball or the National Basketball Association, it represents a frenzy of roster movement.
Even with Roger Goodell moving the date back slightly, there just isn’t much to shake up the sport. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had an opportunity on Tuesday but opted against pulling the trigger.
Of course, the Vikings already made a substantial move by acquiring Cam Robinson. Once Christian Darrisaw was lost for the season, there was an immediate need to replace the starting left tackle. For a team that was 5-2 at the time, there was no reason not to protect Sam Darnold and see what could happen.
Acquiring Robinson cost Minnesota very little. The pick compensation was negligible at best, and the Jaguars are picking up the majority of the tab financially. That put the Vikings in a position to make another move before Tuesday’s deadline. Instead, they chose not to.
It’s fair to understand that any trade must have a partner for it to work. It’s entirely possible that Adofo-Mensah offered up assets, and none of his fellow general managers took the bait. However, the Vikings have a first-round pick and two fifth-round selections in 2025. None of them should be expected to drive significant value. The former is going to be at the bottom of the round, and the latter options have been utilized, such as candy on deadline day.
I have no idea if Adofo-Mensah said that his first-round pick was up for grabs, but he certainly should have. A year from now, J.J. McCarthy will be fully entrenched as Minnesota’s starter, and having an additional starting caliber talent alongside him would be great to see. Draft picks are far too coveted in the NFL, and moving one or a known commodity couldn’t have made more sense.
From here on out, the Vikings will need to continue their winning ways without reinforcements. Kevin O’Connell’s roster remains as it has been, and he’ll need to hope the group can stay healthy.
No huge names were moved on deadline day in the NFL. That’s part of the problem, but the Vikings should have been more aggressive to make something happen.
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 daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.