Vikings Rumors Zero In on a Jordan Addison Trade, Brian Flores Off Ramp, Lewis Cine
Usually, the Minnesota Vikings’ rumor mill is borderline fun before the NFL trade deadline. But this go-round is a different ball of wax, with the team holding a 3-4 record after a 27-point loss on Thursday Night Football.
The purple rumor was busy and wacky in Week 8, and the NFL’s trade deadline is eight days away, and the Vikings now have a losing record at 3-4.
Nevertheless, the rumor mill remains, and the Vikings’ next game is in about one Week 8 at the mighty Detroit Lions.
Vikings Rumor Mill for October 25th, 2025
The purple rumor mill on Jordan Addison, Brian Flores, and Lewis Cine.
Rumor: The New England Patriots could put together a trade package for Jordan Addison.
Discussing the New England Patriots’ hunt for a legitimate wide receiver threat, SI.com‘s Albert Breer floated Jordan Addison’s name this week as a possible trade target — someone who could give rookie quarterback Drake Maye a true go-to option if Minnesota decided to pick up the phone.
He wrote, “My understanding is that their approach is going to be to take a long-term view of this whole thing. I think you have to put these into two buckets. Right? Short-term vs. long-term. I think if there is a short-term buy here for them, it’s going to be more of a depth piece. Then you get to the long-term bucket.”
“This is where I think you’d be looking at guys that might mirror the opportunity they were looking at a year ago in Brandon Aiyuk where you can bring in a guy that can help you now and also be a building block for you going forward. Who could that be? Maybe a Chris Olave in New Orleans. Maybe a Jordan Addison in Minnesota. Guys that are nearing the end of their rookie deals and their teams like the player, but maybe don’t plan to sign them long-term.”
It’s not exactly a smoking gun for an Addison trade, but it does mark one of the first real national mentions of him as a potentially movable commodity.
If Minnesota actually followed Breer’s advice and shipped Addison out, it would be a white flag on the 2025 season. Sitting at 3-4 with J.J. McCarthy set to return, the Vikings still have a shot to make this year interesting — or spiral if the rookie signal-caller flops.
In Breer’s version of reality, Minnesota would likely stumble to 3-5 by Week 9, flip Addison, and limp through the rest of the schedule with a skeleton crew: Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Adam Thielen, Tai Felton, and Myles Price trying to keep things respectable.
Rumor: Brian Flores will get head coaching looks in January.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic kicked off the early rounds of the 2026 NFL coaching carousel talk — and, surprise, surprise, Brian Flores’ name surfaced.
Russini laid it out like this:
While the Titans were the first team to fire their coach, they will almost certainly not be the last. I expect Tennessee’s early list of candidates to include:
— Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy
— Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo
— Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver
— Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur SmithHere are some other names I’ll be keeping my eye on if and when other openings arise:
— Chargers DC Jesse Minter
— Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile
— Rams DC Chris Shula
— Vikings DC Brian Flores
— Broncos DC Vance Joseph
— Packers DC Jeff Hafley
— Bills OC Joe Brady
— 49ers DC Robert Saleh
Flores and the Vikings had a rocky night on Thursday Night Football, but he and the team will probably rebound, and Flores will, indeed, get head coach nibbles. For the most part, he deserves it.
Rumor: Lewis Cine tried out for the Patriots’ roster this week.
Cine has actually tried to latch onto a squad since August, when the Philadelphia Eagles cut him loose. The Patriots are the latest experiment.
NBC Sports’ Michael David Smith announced Wednesday, “Lewis Cine, a safety who was a 2022 first-round pick of the Vikings, had a tryout with the Patriots on Tuesday.”
“Cine played only 10 defensive snaps during his time with the Vikings. He suffered a very serious leg injury during Week Four of his rookie year, ending that season, and when he returned for his second season he was used almost exclusively on special teams. The Vikings cut him before the 2024 season.”
A Super Bowl champion with the Eagles, though he didn’t play—Cine is just looking for practice squad work. At the ripe old age of 26, one would think he could find at least that. Stay tuned. No contract in New England materialized for Cine at the time of this article’s publication.
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