Purple Rumor Mill: Dexter Lawrence to Vikings, a J.J. McCarthy Swerve, Super Bowl Dreams
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the October 6th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Dexter Lawrence to Vikings, a J.J. McCarthy Swerve, Super Bowl Dreams
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.
Rumor: The Vikings should enter the Dexter Lawrence trade sweepstakes if the Giants make him available.
Some folks — mostly eager Vikings fans — have suggested that Lawrence could be gettable via trade. But three items separate Lawrence to Minnesota from realism:
1) Will the Giants even trade him at all? Why would they?
2) Would general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah be willing to offload the 2025 1st-Rounder for Lawrence? That pick is trending for somewhere in the 20s, but Lawrence is a 26-year-old, and perhaps Adofo-Mensah prefers a young player for his draft pick.
3) Can Minnesota immediately renegotiate Lawrence’s deal to accommodate his cap hit, or would the Vikings clear cap space elsewhere?
The idea is pretty fantastic, but it’s unclear if Lawrence is for sale.
Rumor: Minnesota might hit the pause button on J.J. McCarthy and keep Sam Darnold.
Bleacher Report claimed that after Week 4, when the Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field 31-29, they might have to revise their quarterback plan after 2024.
“The Minnesota Vikings signed Sam Darnold this offseason as the bridge to a quarterback-to-be-drafted. That rookie ended up being Michigan product and 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy, who was subsequently lost for the year with a preseason meniscus tear,” BR’s staff wrote Monday. “McCarthy’s injury ensured that Darnold would be the quarterback of the present. After Sunday’s 31-29 win over the rival Green Bay Packers, Minnesota may have to consider the possibility of him being the quarterback of the future too.”
McCarthy played incredibly well at training camp and in one preseason game, perhaps suggesting he’d win the QB1 job out of the gate over Darnold. But then he tore his meniscus in August and hit the shelf for all of his rookie season. The competition ended.
“The Vikings won’t simply turn the page on McCarthy, of course. They used a first-round pick to get him, and they have him on a rookie contract for at least the next four years. They could choose, however, to develop him over the next couple of years instead of handing him the keys in 2025,” BR added.
“Much will depend on the cost of retaining Darnold, as he’s playing his way into being one of the most coveted free agents of 2025. Yet, keeping him will have to be considered if Darnold helps lead the Vikings on a deep playoff run—which, at this point, feels entirely possible.”
This is a talker for January or February. Speculating whether Minnesota will retain Darnold after this season is pretty pointless through four games.
Rumor: The Vikings suddenly have legitimate Super Bowl stakes.
Minnesota is now the eighth-likeliest team to win the Super Bowl in February, with +1600 odds.
This is the NFL’s current pecking order per Super Bowl odds:
- Green Bay Packers: +2700
- Kansas City Chiefs: +500
- San Francisco 49ers: +650
- Baltimore Ravens: +800
- Buffalo Bills: +1000
- Houston Texans: +1300
- Detroit Lions: +1300
- Philadelphia Eagles: +1400
- Minnesota Vikings: +1600
- Dallas Cowboys: +2100
- New York Jets: +2100
- Atlanta Falcons: +2700
Considering the Vikings’ +8000 moneyline for the Super Bowl one month ago, yes, it’s safe to say that sportsbooks believe in this version of Vikings.
The Dalton Risner Update
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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