Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Tua Tagovailoa, Maye vs. McCarthy, Vikings Losing the Trade
A new weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we unveil the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Tua Tagovailoa, Maye vs. McCarthy, Vikings Losing the Trade
The nopedy nopes are weekly Minnesota Vikings-themed items that we’re not buying. It’s a spin-off of our rumor mill, and we hope you enjoy. Here is the third batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings should trade for Tua Tagovailoa.
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright advanced a zany theory this week, linking Minnesota to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, presumably for the price of the Vikings’ two 1st-Round picks.
Wright said on First Things First, “If I were advising the Dolphins, you know what I would tell them? You know how Minnesota acquired an extra 1st-Round pick? They have the 23rd pick because they want a quarterback. I would call them and see what they think of Tua Tagovailoa.”
“You could have stability at the quarterback position and maybe quiet Justin Jefferson’s fears,” Wright added.
The Vikings won’t trade two 1st-Rounders for Tagovailoa and nominate him as the solution for life after Kirk Cousins. If they wanted a soon-to-be expensive quarterback, Cousins would’ve been re-signed. And why would Minnesota want a guy that the Dolphins deem not good enough?
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Vikings fans are warming up to J.J. McCarthy as the 1st-Round draft pick, so much so that they prefer him over Drake Maye.
After a splashy Kwesi Adofo-Mensa trade nine days ago, the Vikings are now equipped to move up in the draft more than any quarterback-needy team. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy may be easier to obtain per the price of the next trade, and because he’s the Vegas frontrunner, Vikings fans have pivoted to preferring McCarthy over Maye.
But not so fast: the team’s fans like McCarthy, but they love Drake Maye.
There’s a poll for that:
Folks will get on board if McCarthy is the guy, but he’s not the runaway favorite per fan sentiment.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings lost the trade with the Houston Texans.
On March 15th, Adofo-Mensah pulled off the the aforementioned trade for extra 2024 draft capital, sending two 2nd-Round picks to Houston for the Texans’ 2024 1st-Rounder (Pick No. 23) and a late-round pick swap.
Many “trade calculators” claimed the Texans “won the trade.” But the declaration needs context.
NFL data analyst Michael Lopez used the X app a few days ago to summarize the trade’s outcome perfectly. He said it best: “Every draft value chart paints the HOU/MIN trade as yielding excess value for HOU. If you look at the trade as a ‘Probability of drafting a stud,’ it’s actually a win for MIN.”
The easy way to think of this? It’s a win-win. Both clubs should consider themselves prizewinners. The Texans will draft and implement two impact players instead of one. They’ve got the QB1 position all figured out, courtesy of C.J. Stroud’s rapid ascension to stardom as a rookie. Hell, Stroud and the Texans even reached the AFC’s Divisional Round last season, Stroud’s first in charge. Everything is trending up in Houston, and with main foundational roster pieces set, it can afford to build out the roster with multiple 2nd-Round picks.
The Vikings, meanwhile, needed draft capital to swing for the fences for their rookie QB1. They could not have pulled off a subsequent trade as easily without the Texans trade.
“Trade winners” cannot be discerned a few days after the swap, and anyone claiming Houston already won the deal is bogged down by recency bias. Trade outcomes take time — often years.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
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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 MIN 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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