Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Tyreek Hill Trade, a Kirk Cousins Reunion, No to Aaron Rodgers
In any given week, about a half dozen seriously flawed Minnesota Vikings-themed takes hit the digital universe.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Tyreek Hill Trade, a Kirk Cousins Reunion, No to Aaron Rodgers
They’re items that are either wrong, clickbait, or totally outlandish.
These three items fit that criteria this week. You can read last week’s here.
The Nopedy Nope: Tyreek Hill is for sale and would cost a team like the Vikings two 1st-Rounders.
After the Miami Dolphins failed to qualify for the postseason in January, Hill told reporters he was done with that team, that he didn’t have time left in his career to miss the playoffs, and that he’d prefer a trade.
People believed him.
He later walked back the trade request as mere frustration, but NFL media hasn’t wholly ruled out a trade, probably during next week’s draft.
But Dolphins general manager Chris Grier did his best to end trade talks. “That is not anything that we’re pursuing. If someone wants to come and give me two first-rounders, we’ll consider it,” Grier replied.
And because Tyreek Hill grew up as a Vikings fan, some have side-eyed him as a trade option, hoping to create an electric receiving corps with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Hill.
“He’s been working and doing all the things to show his teammates this is where he wants to be. He’s been great. Things happen with players,” Grier added.
Minnesota won’t trade two 1st-Rounders for Hill. He’s too old and expensive. Those with the Hill idea for Minnesota can consider it dead.
Verdict: Nopedy Nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Minnesota is a realistic destination for a Kirk Cousins trade.
Spitballing trade destinations for Kirk Cousins this week, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin wrote, “This is the most intriguing possibility from a storyline standpoint. Cousins just got done rocking the purple not long ago, ingratiating himself with Vikings Nation. His return wouldn’t necessarily inhibit J.J. McCarthy, the new face of the franchise, from taking over in 2025 and beyond. He’d offer coach Kevin O’Connell a ready-made insurance plan, without the preexisting pressure of being ‘the guy.'”
“And yet the one thing Cousins has reportedly sought in his efforts to escape Atlanta is a path to a starting gig, which isn’t a reality in Minnesota barring a catastrophic summer from McCarthy.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints were also name-dropped for Cousins.
Benjamin added, “If, however, he’s dead-set on a fresh start rather than sitting behind Michael Penix Jr., perhaps he’d rather sit where he and his family carved out an admittedly comfortable home for six years.”
We struggle to understand why Cousins would leave a cozy QB2 job in Atlanta … for a cozy QB2 job in Minnesota. What’s the point?
Verdict: Nopedy Nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Aaron Rodgers had a sales pitch for the Vikings — a one-year push for a Super Bowl — but he was rejected.
SI.com’s Albert Breer explained this week about J.J. McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers, and the Vikings quarterback plans: “They wanted to respect the year Darnold had and discussed a run-it-back scenario with the 28-year-old. Darnold found another team, in Seattle, willing to give him the chance to be a multi-year answer, so the Vikings made a strong offer to Jones, who joined the team in November.”
“They pitched him on competing with tools around him to revive his career, but Jones preferred a fresh start without the Darnold comp hanging over him, and perhaps a better shot to start with the Indianapolis Colts.”
Breer then got to the Rodgers punchline: “Which is where Rodgers entered the equation. When the four-time MVP reached out to the Vikings, with the idea of making a one-year run at a Lombardi and tying it to being a willing mentor for McCarthy, the team felt it had to listen.”
“In the end, faced with all that, the Vikings found themselves emboldened to give McCarthy the runway to seize the job, the staff the opportunity to build the offense for him, and see how that looked at the end of the spring. So the Vikings passed on Rodgers, pushing their chips in on a 22-year-old.”
Minnesota basically told Rodgers, “Nopedy nope.” He can retire, play for the Steelers, or wait until a prominent QB1 gets hurt.
Verdict: Nopedy Nope.
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