Purple Rumor Mill: Vikings Top Trade Candidate, Patrick Peterson, Michigan RB
The NFL draft gets cracking in five days, so this week’s rumor mill was busier than most.
Vikings Rumors: Vikings Top Trade Candidate, Patrick Peterson, Michigan RB
We track Minnesota Vikings rumors each weekend, posting articles on Saturdays and Sundays and keeping up with the purple gossip mill.
Here’s the first edition of the week.
Rumor: Harrison Phillips is the Vikings’ top player trade candidate.
Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano assigned a “trade-bait” candidate from each NFL squad last week, and Harrison Phillips was the option for Minnesota.
He wrote, “The Vikings signed both DT Jonathan Allen (three years, $51 million) and DT Javon Hargrave (two years, $30 million) this offseason, which surely reduces Phillips’ role in their defense. They might not be inclined to trade him, given the age of their two new additions and the fact that Phillips is in the first year of a smaller, two-year extension.”
Minnesota suddenly has a plethora of defensive tackles after years of underwhelming solutions. Per FOX Sports, it’s so deep at the position in 2025 that Phillips could be expendable.
“But if they draft or find a possible replacement, the 29-year-old Phillips might be worth dangling on the market. He’s a strong run-stuffer who hasn’t missed a game in the past three years,” Vacchiano concluded.
A Phillips trade might be on the table if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafts Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen, Derrick Harmon, or Tyleik Williams next week. Trading him wouldn’t be that far-fetched if so.
It’s unclear what type of trade package Phillips might fetch, but based on his age, performance, and contractual value, a 5th-Rounder might make sense. Some fans would prefer he just stay for defensive line roster depth.
Rumor: Former Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson will retire after 13 seasons.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted one week ago, “Eight-time Pro-Bowl CB Patrick Peterson will be in Arizona on Monday to retire as a Cardinal, per source. Peterson played 13 years in the NFL, including his first 10 seasons in Arizona, where he was a three-time All-Pro selection.”
Peterson later confirmed the tweet, and that’s a wrap for the man who spent two seasons in Minnesota.
His Hall of Fame eligibility will go live in 2030, and with any luck, Peterson will wear a gold jacket in the first election cycle. He’s an eight-time Pro Bowler. The Hall of Fame debate shouldn’t be too contentious.
Rumor: The Vikings are interested in rookie running back Kalel Mullings, a former teammate of J.J. McCarthy at Michigan.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted earlier this week, “Visits: The Commanders are set to host Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston and Louisville CB Quincy Riley on Top 30 visits tomorrow. The Lions hosted Texas WR Matthew Golden over the weekend. Another one for today: The Vikings hosted Michigan RB Kalel Mullings on a Top 30 visit, source said.”
Mullings is 6’2″ and 230 pounds, with 4.62 speed. He’s a bowling-ball tailback, and Minnesota has nothing remotely close to that on its depth chart.
Mullings and McCarthy won a National Championship together in 2023. He could become a Viking from Round 6 or 7 — perhaps undrafted free agency. The Top 30 visits sometimes turn into draft picks or UDFA relationships.
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