Justin Fields Rumor Mill Begins for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings may actually stand pat at the trade deadline next week, considering their 3-4 record entering Week 9. But if they do not, SI.com believes Minnesota should fire up a trade with the New York Jets for quarterback Justin Fields.
All NFL teams have a few more days to finagle trades, and according to one outlet, the Minnesota Vikings should target quarterback Justin Fields.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is no stranger to wheeling and dealing, and Fields could evidently catch his eye for the price of a late-round draft pick.
SI.com Recommends Justin Fields to Vikings
The deal isn’t terribly realistic, but it is now out in the open.
Conor Orr’s Idea? Fields to Minnesota
Orr sized up 12 trades around the business that his website would like to see by next Tuesday, and Fields to the Twin Cities made the cut.
He wrote, “Price: Conditional 2026 fifth-round pick. With Carson Wentz battered to the point of being placed on injured reserve and the Vikings staring out at a very fine line between competency at the quarterback position and a deep, empty ravine, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell snag Fields from the Jets after the strength of Fields’s performance last week against the Bengals.”
“Fields is the perfect high-upside quarterback for O’Connell to mix into the fold should J.J. McCarthy struggle to play with his injured ankle. The move is an attempt to restock the cupboard in Minnesota after both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones left for high-end starting jobs elsewhere.”
The Vikings were actually linked to Fields during the 2021 NFL Draft, as general manager Rick Spielman reportedly did his diligence to move up the draftboard via trade. No deal came together, the Chicago Bears drafted Fields, and now Fields + Spielman work together in New York.
“O’Connell learned a valuable lesson about hubris and the limitations of coaching this offseason by also eschewing Aaron Rodgers after McCarthy’s promising spring. Fields, who is not valued by Jets ownership, would likely welcome the change with open arms,” Orr concluded.
A Mostly Failed Career to Date
Field has started 51 games since 2021, and teams led by him are 15-36 in those contests. His team wins 29% of the time that he plays, and often in those 15 wins, his squad’s defense must play otherworldly.
His main malfunction? Accuracy. Fields has a career completion rate of 61.5%, and that just won’t cut it for long-term staying power. Fields’ saving grace — which keeps him in conversations as a QB1 — is his speed and mobility. The guy can fly. He’s as fast as an elite running back, elusive as a punt returner.
He’s on the cusp of getting benched in New York — hence the SI.com trade fodder.
Physical Tools Are There
As always with Fields, the physical gifts are there. It’s why he was drafted in Round 1 four years ago and why the Steelers and Jets have given him auditions in the last two seasons. He has a rocket arm, and coupled with the aforementioned speed, the general manager and coaches just can’t quit him.
Of course, the physical tools haven’t necessarily extended to passing accuracy, and that’s Fields’ bugaboo. In fact, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell stated a few years ago that finding a naturally accurate passer was his baseline when scouting a young quarterback.
Fields doesn’t have it. He just doesn’t.
The Trade Is Unlikely
Minnesota is fully locked into the J.J. McCarthy era, which resumes this Sunday at the Detroit Lions. It took the slaughter of Carson Wentz to get here, but now O’Connell will return to the quarterback who will define his legacy as a head coach.
Perhaps if McCarthy were still injured or Minnesota had expendable draft capital, taking a flyer on Fields would add up. Neither is true, however.
The Vikings also signed journeyman veteran passer John Wolford on Wednesday, making an extra quarterback trade of any kind less likely.
David Njoku to Broncos?
Orr also endorsed Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku to Denver.
He remarked, “The 12-personnel craze was so last year. Now, it’s all about 13-personnel. The Colts, Steelers, Lions and Rams have all had success with three-tight end formations that could define the latter portions of the season and boost the run game’s efficiency. The Broncos have one of the lowest percentages of multi-tight end formational usage in the league.”
“Still, Sean Payton has long been a fan of the position and talks about his ideal playmakers as positionless entities. After getting a glimpse of RJ Harvey on Sunday, his pass-catching abilities are receiver-esque, and a heavier personnel set could set him loose in the running game, get him to the edge more often or set him up on more screen plays. A personnel grouping with Njokou and Evan Engram would pose lots of problems for the opposition. The Chiefs’ defense has been somewhat vulnerable to 12-personnel packages this year.”
Fields will turn 27 next offseason.
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