NFL free agency gets underway in 16 days, and the 2025 NFL Draft is six weeks after that.
7 Vikings Trades That Could Happen This Offseason
The club will likely conduct a trade or two in the next eight weeks, as the team’s general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, loves to wheel and deal.
Ranked in ascending order of probability, these are seven Vikings trades that could happen this offseason.
7. A Trade Up the Draftboard for Ashton Jeanty
The Deal —
Vikings Get: 16th Overall Pick
Cardinals Get: 24th Overall Pick + a 2026 3rd-Rounder
A longshot, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty slides on draft night, and to secure the RB1 spot for the next five years, the Vikings engage in a taboo trade — wheeling and dealing up the board for a running back.
Jeanty is damn dynamic, and after fans got over the initial shock of trading up for a halfback, they’d love the pick. Jeanty’s eventual production could mirror Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley.
6. DT DeForest Buckner to Vikings
The Deal —
Vikings Get: DeForest Buckner + 2025 5th-Rounder + 2025 6th-Rounder
Colts Get: 2025 3rd-Rounder + 2025 5th-Rounder
This one was actually pilfered from Bleacher Report. BR explained earlier this month, “The Vikings took a big step up in scoring defense this season. They finished fifth with Flores conducting a defense that had the highest blitz rate in the league. With a little more talent up front, they could be the best defense in the league. That’s the kind of ceiling they would have by adding a player like Buckner into the mix.”
Minnesota has not employed a truly impactful defensive tackle at Buckner’s spot since Kevin Williams, who left the franchise 11 years ago. It might be time to subscribe to a theory like Bleacher Report’s as a fix.
“For all the success the Vikings had, they don’t have a dominant interior defender. With Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery set to hit free agency, they will have to find answers for who will play on the inside. Buckner is 30 years old, but he’s still a handful for teams to block. He had 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss in 12 games played with the Colts this season,” BR added.
Vikings fans would rejoice at Buckner on the 2025 depth chart.
5. CB Denzel Ward to Minnesota
The Deal —
Vikings Get: Denzel Ward
Browns Get: 24th Overall Pick
Ward will be 28 by the time the 2025 regular season rolls around, but Minnesota, with this trade, would bypass any bust fears from a rookie cornerback.
The four-time Pro Bowler will fit nicely inside Brian Flores’ defense and boom — Minnesota would have CB1 locked down for the next few seasons.
4. Sam Darnold to Raiders via Franchise Tag Trade
The Deal —
Vikings Get: Pick No. 37 (Round 2)
Raiders Get: Sam Darnold + 2026 4th Rounder
The plan to franchise-tag Darnold and trade him … works, and Minnesota adds a Top 40 pick to spend on a defensive lineman, offensive lineman, cornerback, or running back.
The Raiders sign Darnold to a three-year, $120 million contract, and everyone wins.
3. Garrett Bradbury to Patriots
The Deal —
Vikings Get: Pick No. 105 (4th Round)
Patriots Get: Garrett Bradbury + 2026 7th Rounder
After signing Drew Dalman or Ryan Kelly in free agency, Adofo-Mensah ends the Bradbury era in the Twin Cities, offloading him to the New England Patriots, where he’ll work quite well with Drake Maye and friends.
2. Cooper Kupp to Vikings
The Deal —
Vikings Get: Cooper Kupp
Rams Get: Pick No. 161 (Round 5)
The Rams might have bold dreams of trading Cooper Kupp for a sweet haul. But the man will turn 32 this summer and is quite vividly winding down his career.
Instead of releasing him, Minnesota sends a 5th-Rounder to Los Angeles, reuniting Kupp with Kevin O’Connell for his career’s remainder.
1. A Trade Down the Draftboard
The Deal —
Vikings Get: 2nd-Rounder, 3rd-Rounder, 4th-Rounder (Picks 36, 88, 125)
Jaguars Get: Vikings No. 24 Pick
Adofo-Mensah claws back capital spent on Dallas Turner last year and restocks his draft piggybank by selling the 2025 1st-Rounder.
Minnesota’s draft haul quantity almost returns to normal.
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.