Vikings Trade May Be Imminent under One Condition, Say Insider
The Minnesota Vikings need a quarterback of the future. Plain and simple. It’s an open-and-shut declaration.
Vikings Trade May Be Imminent under One Condition, Say Insider
But they’ll likely need a trade up the draftboard on Thursday night to “get their guy,” and according to one insider, a deal for the New England Patriots’ third overall pick is contingent on one player: Jayden Daniels.
Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline explained this week, “As mentioned in my article yesterday, word at the combine was that the Patriots covet Jayden Daniels. Further word was that the team would look to trade down from the third pick if Daniels is not available.”
That was Pauline’s theory a bit over a month ago, and it hasn’t wavered. The Vikings may have to watch and hope the Washington Commanders take Daniels, dampening their enthusiasm on sticking-and-picking at No. 3 while apparently more willing to do business via trade with a quarterback-needy team — like Minnesota.
Pauline continued, “In Indianapolis, the belief was that if the Patriots could not select Daniels, they would trade deep into Round 1 and select Michael Penix Jr. As of last week, the belief in the league is that, should the Patriots make a trade with a team such as the Vikings or Broncos, they would lean towards selecting Penix in the middle of Round 1.”
So, here’s the theory, summarized: the Commanders complete fruition, drafting Daniels with the second overall pick — what sportsbooks have forecasted for about two months. The Patriots, downtrodden that Daniels isn’t available, pick up the phone and do business with Minnesota, probably a king’s ransom for the draft pick that will land Drake Maye of North Carolina.
Of course, this could apply to other quarterback-needy teams like the Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders, but the Patriots are more likely to deal with Minnesota because the Vikings have ample draft capital to trade and don’t live in the AFC.
“My opinion? Another team will have to overpay for the Patriots to move out of the third pick and pass on a quarterback, which is the owner’s desire,” Pauline concluded.
For context, Pauline wrote this a couple of months ago: “The big news coming out of Indianapolis is the way teams are hot and cold on quarterback Drake Maye, who was expected to be a top-three pick. I was told at the combine that the New England Patriots would trade back if Jayden Daniels did not drop to their slot, the third pick of the draft. Just today, I heard further that several scouts from the Patriots organization are not fans of Maye, who really struggled down the stretch of the season. The fact that several people mentioned in conversation, not all, are sold on Maye makes this significant.”
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is the odds-on favorite to end up in Minnesota, so keep that in mind, too.
The draft is three days away.
There’s a New Vikings Conspiracy Theory
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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