Another Vikings Trade Causes Confusion
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a few curious trades late in the summer, and through six weeks of the regular season, the one involving cornerback Mekhi Blackmon continues to inspire head scratches.
Fans have wondered just why the Vikings traded Mekhi Blackmon for a 6th-Round pick when the team’s CB3 is Jeff Okudah, and he hasn’t excelled.
Blackmon has since carved out a role for himself with the Indianapolis Colts, causing Vikings fans to think, “What the hell?”
The Mekhi Blackmon Trade Looks Weird for the Vikings in Retrospect
What was the method to the madness?
Mekhi Blackmon Records INT in Week 6, Reigniting Vikings Fans’ Confusion
Blackmon has received ample playing time for the Colts, a club with a 5-1 record entering Week 7. He has a poor 54.6 Pro Football Focus grade, but that hasn’t stopped Vikings fans from lamenting his exit from the franchise via trade.
Here’s the Blackmon interception from Week 6:
It’s also worth noting that Blackmon has an impressive 53.2 passer-rating-against on 17 targets.
Why Trade Blackmon in the First Place?
The Vikings entered the most recent offseason with questions aplenty at cornerback, responding by welcoming back Byron Murphy Jr. with a handsome extension, signing Isaiah Rodgers — who has turned out to be an utter revelation — and onboarding Jeff Okudah on a dinker deal.
In the background, Blackmon lurked, and fans were eager to see him return from a torn ACL that he suffered at 2024 training camp.
Most agreed that cornerback was the weakest and shallowest position on the depth chart by the summer of 2025, so when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded Blackmon to the Colts, there was an assumption that a supplemental move would arrive, possibly re-signing Stephon Gilmore or taking a flyer on Asante Samuel Jr.
Neither transaction happened.
And here we are watching Blackmon tabulate interceptions with his new team, prompting fans to ask, “Why did they trade this guy?”
Just a 6th-Rounder?
Meanwhile, it’s not like Adofo-Mensah clawed back a mid-round draft pick for Blackmon, who was originally a 3rd-Rounder from the 2023 NFL Draft.
Adofo-Mensah was content with a meager 6th-Rounder, also known as a dartboard throw during all drafts. The return was not staggering by any stretch of the imagination, and Minnesota is currently one major cornerback injury away from folks wondering, “Oh, my. Who will play in place of Murphy Jr. or Rodgers?”
In theory, that could have been Blackmon. It’s also worth noting that Okudah, Blackmon’s CB3 replacement, has struggled, posting a stinky 40.5 Pro Football Focus grade. Opposing quarterbacks have targeted and bullied Okudah out of the gate in 2025.
The Signs Were There in the Preseason
That said, ridding the depth chart of Blackmon was not entirely unexpected.
During three preseason games, Blackmon played more than most corners, usually an indicator that a roster cut is on the way. In mid-August, most purple enthusiasts commonly agreed that Blackmon would be released during roster trimdowns because he played so much in the preseason.
Perhaps Adofo-Mensah had already been given the notice from Brian Flores or Kevin O’Connell that Blackmon would be released, and hence scrambled to get a draft pick beforehand.
It’s the only thing that makes sense.
Trading a 26-year-old cornerback — a 3rd Rounder from two years prior — when the depth chart has cornerback depth concerns feels like a junior version of gridiron malpractice.
The Xavier Howard Replacement Plan in Indy
Veteran cornerback Xavien Howard abruptly retired this month, prompting Colts-themed media to speculate about the CB next steps. Blackmon is now a solution.
Fox59‘s Mike Chappell recently wrote, “If there was a personnel decision for Lou Anarumo to make at cornerback, Xavien Howard made it for him. The veteran cornerback, after a subpar game in Sunday’s loss at the Los Angeles Rams and four very un-Howard-like starts in his comeback with the Indianapolis Colts, decided to retire on Wednesday.”
“The question no longer was whether Anarumo would bench Howard for Sunday’s meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was: Who replaces him in the starting lineup? The Colts must do so without Howard, who signed Aug. 18 when injuries continued to decimate the cornerbacks’ room.”
Blackmon will turn 27 next offseason.
“He started the first four games and was on the field for at least 81% of the defensive snaps in each of the past three games. It’s possible Anarumo had plans to replace Howard in the starting lineup all along, and now it’s a given,” Chappell added.
“Starting Blackmon would allow Mike Hilton to remain in the slot. He’s been a top-level nickel and was signed Sept. 23, two days after Moore was injured against Tennessee.”
The only saving grace for Minnesota regarding the “why” of the trade is, again, Blackmon’s 54.6 PFF mark. That’s not a grade to lament in the long run.
Adofo-Mensah could also use the pick from the Blackmon trade to land a late-round sleeper in the future, though that’s rare in Round 6.
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