Vikings’ Would-Be Trade Price with Patriots Is Outrageous
The 2024 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away, and the Minnesota Vikings probably need a quarterback early in the event.
Vikings’ Would-Be Trade Price with Patriots Is Outrageous
Three weeks ago, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah kicked off draft season with a trade, sending two 2nd-Round picks to Houston for the Texans’ 2024 1st-Rounder (Pick No. 23) and a late-round pick swap.
The move positioned Minnesota to strike a second time with another trade, especially after Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons via free agency on March 13th. Well, if Adofo-Mensah wishes to do business with the New England Patriots, a club holding the draft’s third overall pick, the price is becoming more outrageous, almost by the day.
Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston explained this week, “I keep circling back to it’s going to be three 1st-Round picks, meaning Minnesota at No. 11 and 23 — and their 1st-Round pick next year. From what I’m hearing, it’s going to take a lot more than that for the Patriots to be moved off their spot.”
If Minnesota can climb to New England’s spot, Drake Maye of North Carolina would become the expected target, a prospect not quite deemed as “generational” as USC’s Caleb Williams but one with a magnificent upside nevertheless.
“Because they, as a team collectively, understand as an opportunity what these three quarterbacks represent at the top of the draft,” Curran added about the Patriots’ trade intentions.
Too, New England could stick-and-pick at No. 3. Why? It needs a quarterback, as well, after watching Tom Brady walk away four years ago and striking out on the 1st-Round draft pick of Mac Jones in 2021. The new Patriots’ front office traded Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, clearing the way for a rookie quarterback — at some point — while adding journeyman passer Jacoby Brissett from free agency.
The problem for Minnesota, though, is the price tag. When would Minnesota hang up the phone, deciding beyond three 1st-Rounders is too expensive? The club reportedly enjoys J.J. McCarthy from Michigan, and he could be gettable for “only” two 1st-Rounders with a team like the Arizona Cardinals (Draft Pick No. 4) or the Los Angeles Chargers (Draft Pick No. 5).
Some NFL analysts have suggested the Vikings will have to donate three 1st-Rounders, plus a player like Jordan Addison or Brian O’Neill to New England for a deal to materialize.
Finally, for context, Curran’s reporting could be a tool utilized by the Patriots to drive up the price in a bidding war. Franchises like the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Giants could have eyes fixated on a rookie quarterback, and the No. 3 spot is appetizing for a trade.
The draft is 20 days 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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