Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (left) shakes hands with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) after the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
Most Minnesota Vikings-themed trade ideas involve draft picks and moving up the board on April 25th for rookies like Drake Maye (North Carolina) and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan).
But SB Nation has a different idea — about as bold and unlikely as it gets.
James Dator proposed a Vikings trade with the Chargers this week involving quarterback Justin Herbert, a deal that would cost Minnesota three 1st-Round picks and Jordan Addison. Such a trade would put the Chargers on the hook for about $63 million in dead cap salary, but in an era when Russell Wilson cost the Denver Broncos roughly $20 million more than that in dead cap, anything is evidently possible.
Dator wrote about the deal, “Why the heck would the Chargers consider this? Simply put: They’re not winning. The NFL has drastically changed in the last 24 months where it’s no longer a necessity to have an elite quarterback to win. Los Angeles gets a quarterback Harbaugh knows he can win with, if they make this trade and two additional first round picks this year to fill gaps.” He continued, “The team gets another in 2025, and an emerging receiver in Jordan Addison who could legitimately be a No. 1 guy on any team that doesn’t have Justin Jefferson.”
The theory suggests the Chargers would keep their No. 5 pick this year and draft the aforementioned McCarthy.
“Why this would make sense for the Vikings? Look, it’s Justin Herbert. You don’t get many chances to land a quarterback like that in a trade. Minnesota is locked in draft purgatory where they’re unable to find a bonafide franchise quarterback, and too good to salt the earth and demolish everything. The Vikings offense is built around elite quarterback play — which necessitates getting a serious talent at the position and not taking a risk,” Dator added.
Los Angeles calling it quits on Herbert would be nearly as inexplicable as it gets — the hard part in the NFL is finding a franchise quarterback. Herbert is exactly that. The Dator deal brushes aside the sure-thing aspect of his skillset. If Herbert were still on a rookie contract and the financial pain of the trade didn’t exist, the Chargers might examine the scenario.
Dator concluded by pouring cold water on his own theory, “Could this actually happen? No. Well, probably not. This would take so many steps and interlocking pieces to make happen that it seems preposterous. Arriving and trading one of the best quarterbacks in the league is a sure-fire way to get fired if it doesn’t pan out, and I don’t think Harbaugh or GM Joe Hortiz want that smoke just now.”
Conversely, it is likely that the Vikings trade for a quarterback: it will just probably be a rookie — and might even be McCarthy, the alleged target for Los Angeles in Dator’s daydream.
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.