Vikings Myths and Misses: The Ed Ingram Trade, Kirk Cousins’ Plight, Letting Sam Darnold Walk
VikingsTerritory keeps an eye on false, wild, and Minnesota Vikings-themed items that didn’t quite work out, and packages them weekly in a batch of “nopedy nopes.”
Our weekly Vikings nopedy nopes article is here, focusing on the now suspect Ed Ingram trade, Kirk Cousins’ quiet week, and Sam Darnold in Seattle.
The publication hits every Sunday, so here’s this week’s edition.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes | Sunday, October 12, 2025
Generally speaking, the following stuff can be filed under “nopedy nope.”
The Nopedy Nope: The Ed Ingram trade for the Vikings was a resounding success.
It’s a bit wild, but Ed Ingram currently grades out as the top guard in the entire NFL — despite not even playing in Week 1. Houston didn’t have him available for the opener, yet once he returned in Week 2, everything clicked.
Since then, his performance has only trended upward, and a few weeks later, Pro Football Focus has him sitting atop the league’s leaderboard at the position.
Here’s the PFF pecking order regarding guards entering Week 6:
- Ed Ingram (84.0)
- Brady Christensen (82.6)
- Quenton Nelson (77.5)
- Quinn Meinerz (75.7)
- Joel Bitonio (74.7)
- David Edwards (73.8)
- Matthew Bergeron (73.7)
- Trey Smith (72.7)
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah set out this offseason to finally fix the offensive line for good, one of his first moves was cutting ties with Ed Ingram. The former starting right guard from 2022 to 2024 was shipped to Houston in exchange for a sixth-round pick — a deal many Vikings fans viewed as a quiet victory, considering most expected Ingram to be released during final roster cuts in August.
For a fan base ready to turn the page, it felt like found money. Ingram had spent much of his tenure hovering near that uncomfortable “bust” territory, and simply getting a draft pick back for him was more than most anticipated.
Now, to “win the trade,” Ingram must return to Earth — or running back Jordan Mason must stay aboard as a long-term RB1. Minnesota used the 6th-Rounder from the Ingram trade to immediately acquire Mason from the San Francisco 49ers.
From here on out, Ingram v. Mason will determine the trade calculator between Houston and Minnesota.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings already winning the Ed Ingram trade.
The Nopedy Nope: Kirk Cousins as the logical trade option if a quarterback-needy team needed a veteran passer.
The Cincinnati Bengals found a new quarterback via trade this week, but it wasn’t Cousins.
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra announced Tuesday, “The Cincinnati Bengals made a quarterback move in an attempt to save a spiraling season. The Bengals acquired quarterback Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, the teams announced. The trade includes a swap of Day 3 2026 draft picks with a fifth going to Cleveland for a sixth and Flacco.”
“NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero initially reported the deal. Flacco started the first four games in Cleveland, completing 58.1% of 160 pass attempts for 815 passing yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions. He was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel ahead of Week 5.”
Most believed that Cousins could be the first to get the call when a big-name quarterback fell by the wayside due to injury. Nope — that was Flacco.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Cousins’ best chance at a change of scenery. At least for now.
The Nopedy Nope: Sam Darnold joining the Seattle Seahawks was a negligent mistake by the Vikings.
The Athletic‘s Mike Sando examined Darnold in Seattle this week, along with Minnesota’s decision to let him bounce: “There’s nothing wrong with an NFL team drafting a quarterback and giving him a long runway, tolerating ups and downs as part of a development plan. The young prospect sometimes beats the available alternatives anyway. Going this route is much tougher to stomach when a team is coming off a 14-win season and possessing the NFL’s most expensive roster, when the coach and general manager are pushing to win a playoff game for the first time entering their fourth season together.”
“But here the Minnesota Vikings are, having already lost nearly as many times in their first four games this season (twice) as they did in the 2024 regular season (three times), without feeling any better about their outlook. The two veteran quarterbacks on Minnesota’s roster last season, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, are playing the best ball of their careers for teams with 3-1 records.”
Sando then ran with the juicy part, as an unnamed executive calling Minnesota crazy for its choices.
“I thought it was absolutely crazy what they did, and I thought it was crazy when they did it. To take a quarterback, Darnold, who won that many games, and to go to J.J. McCarthy, who you don’t know can play, I just don’t get it,” the anonymous man opined.
Despite a game-losing fumble in Week 1, on top of a game-losing interception in Week 5, Darnold is playing quite well in Seattle.
It’s just that J.J. McCarthy has played two games, and it’s too early to announce that Minnesota made some grave mistake by letting Darnold cash in with the Seahawks for $100.5 million.
The decision can be reevaluated after McCarthy’s development over the next couple of years and, if applicable, after seeing Darnold’s playoff performances in Seattle. He utterly flopped last year.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings as “crazy” for not paying [$100.5 million] the guy who capitulated in the postseason.
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