Possible Vikings Trade Partner Resurfaces
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings need a new franchise quarterback after Kirk Cousins left via free agency for the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins quarterbacked the Vikings for six seasons, tabulating two playoff appearances and one postseason win on his watch.
Possible Vikings Trade Partner Resurfaces
Nine days ago, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took trade steps to replace Cousins, shipping two 2nd-Round picks to Houston for the Texans’ 2024 1st-Rounder (Pick No. 23) and a late-round pick swap. Another trade feels imminent for Minnesota to climb into the draft’s Top 5 for a premium rookie quarterback prospect.
Many Vikings fans have circled the New England Patriots (Pick No. 3), Arizona Cardinals (Pick No. 4), and Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5) as potential trade companions, all but writing off the Chicago Bears (Pick No. 1) and Washington Commanders (Pick No. 2). The consensus has suggested that the Bears and Commanders will stick-and-pick at their respective draft spots, and that’ll be that — probably Caleb Williams to Chicago and Jayden Daniels to Washington.
Yet, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the masses might’ve spoken too soon about Washington. He said on SportsCenter recently, “They have been unpredictable, and I’ve talked to a team source who said they are still open with a thorough process. They have not made a firm determination on which direction they’re going. Everybody around the league expects Chicago at 1 to take Caleb Williams of course. So, Washington’s going to go into next week with a contingent going to the Pro Days of both Jayden Daniels at LSU, Drake Maye at UNC. They’re going to shake that out, see what they like.”
The price of a Commanders’ trade would be exorbitant — probably three 1st-Rounders and then some — but Vikings faithful won’t much care about the trade price if the drafted quarterback anchors the franchise for a decade-plus.
“Kliff Kingsbury, the OC, will be there with head coach Dan Quinn, and they’ll have the cavalry. So, they’re going to after that sort through the entire process. I know they are getting calls, inquiries about the No. 2 pick from teams potentially moving up, but largely despite all of those theatrics, the feeling around the league is they’ll take one of those two guys that you rarely get a chance to take at No. 2 a quarterback like they have now,” Fowler added.
Of course, the Commanders being open for business doesn’t mean the Patriots have been ruled out — or anything of the sort. They could still wheel and deal with Minnesota or any quarterback-needy team in the draft.
However, for some reason, Vikings loyalists have largely disregarded the Commanders as a trade partner, and there is really no good reason for it. Fowler’s reporting suggests otherwise.
Another item to consider: Adofo-Mensah was a coworker with Commanders general manager Adam Peters in San Francisco for three years. The two should know each other, making the communication pipeline all the more navigable.
If Minnesota swung a trade with Washington, the deal would land it in prime territory to draft Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, two prospects mentioned by Fowler.
The NFL draft is 32 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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