The Vikings Haven’t Closed the Door on a Superstar QB Trade
All eyes will turn to the quarterback position — if they haven’t already — for the Minnesota Vikings soon, as the team’s general manager and head coach said this week that constructing the “deepest quarterback room possible” is the offseason’s foremost goal. And according to ESPN, Minnesota has not ruled out deep-sea fishing at quarterback for a player like Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow.
The Vikings probably aren’t actively shopping for a superstar quarterback, but Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson remain the names that keep the door from fully closing.
Kevin Seifert delivered the assertion this week, and now fans’ minds will wander for the next several weeks.
What a Superstar QB Trade Would Actually Require for Minnesota
Don’t completely rule out a splashy QB trade for the purple team just yet.
Seifert on Big-Game Hunting
Seifert hopped on KFAN this week, and among many Vikings-themed topics, he opined on the notion of Minnesota trading for a big-name passer sometime in the next several weeks. Apparently, Seifert, who covers the club religiously for ESPN, couldn’t find anyone in the Vikings’ leadership orbit to refute the idea.
“I could not find anyone to tell me that they definitely don’t want to pursue a Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson or whoever else might shake loose in terms of a guy that would absolutely come in here as the unquestioned starter,” he said.
So, there’s either smoke with this fire or the folks Seifert talked to enjoyed leading him on.
The Real Big Fish
Finding a superstar passer via trade is really code right now for Burrow, and to an extent, Jackson.
Burrow told reporters last month that he was unhappy with football and his life, on the whole, and those comments sent NFL media into a frenzy, pondering an Andrew Luck-style retirement or an eventual trade request.
Of course, if Burrow forced his way out of Cincinnati — the Bengals’ front office is notoriously prickly — the Vikings would be at the top of the list for destinations. Why? Well, Minnesota does not play in the AFC, and the Bengals almost assuredly would want Burrow out of the conference if they were forced to trade him. Plus, Justin Jefferson plays for the Vikings, and he + Burrow dominated college football six years ago.
CBS Sports‘ Jonathan Jones wrote a few weeks ago about Burrow, “Joe Burrow’s comments this December have several NFL sharks circling in the Cincinnati waters. Sources from multiple teams tell CBS Sports they anticipate several teams will attempt a pursuit of trading for Burrow in the offseason.”
“This comes after weeks of Burrow voicing frustration with losing, despite saying he plans to remain in Cincinnati in 2026 and despite the Bengals showing no interest in dealing him. Burrow said two weeks ago he wasn’t having any fun playing football and was frustrated by everything.”
On Jackson, that one is trickier as a trade hypothesis. Some credible reports recently suggested that Jackson could be traded this offseason, but that was before head coach John Harbaugh’s termination. The working theory suggests the Ravens will now hire a head coach to embrace Jackson, and cooler heads will prevail.
Also on the hypothetical list of big-fish quarterbacks to target via trade:
- Justin Herbert
- Baker Mayfield
- Dak Prescott
- Matthew Stafford
None of those men will likely be traded, but for the purposes of the exercise, they could be on the move in an extreme scenario. Always remember: a Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers felt utterly impossible one year ago right now.
The Medium Tier
Then there’s the next tier below deep-sea fishing:
- Kirk Cousins
- Justin Fields
- Mac Jones
- Will Levis
- Drew Lock
- Jalen Milroe
- Davis Mills
- Kyler Murray
- Spencer Rattler
- Anthony Richardson
- Tua Tagovailoa
- Jameis Winston
Murray would draw the biggest headlines from this list, and in fact, one year ago, he would’ve lived in the conversation with Burrow and Jackson. Arizona, though, appeared to “softly bench” Murray this season in favor of journeyman passer Jacoby Brissett, leading many to assume Murray will be traded or released this offseason.
Mac Jones and Anthony Richardson would also generate their fair share of excitement among Vikings fans because of their past 1st-Round draft stock.
The Draft Capital
The tricky part with a juicy quarterback trade? The compensation. Minnesota begins this offseason about $30 million to $40 million over the salary cap and will be forced to cut players and restructure others’ contracts just to have any funds at all to sign new players. Accordingly, the club has banked approximately nine draft picks for 2026 to offset the financial pain.
Trading for a Burrow or Jackson would require about three 1st-Rounders and perhaps more.
It’s also worth noting that the Vikings’ life will be much easier if current QB1 J.J. McCarthy stays healthy in 2026 and blossoms into a franchise quarterback.
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