If the Vikings Want a High-End WR, It’ll Cost Them
Josh Frey
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Over the past few days, the Vikings evidently have been shopping for a high-end wide receiver to join Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. However, the price for such a receiver may become very steep as evidenced by recent trades.
On Thursday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs acquired second year WR Kadarius Toney from the New York Giants. In exchange, New York received a compensatory third-round pick as well as a sixth-round pick.
This is concerning for anyone hoping for the Vikings to land either Brandin Cooks or Jerry Jeudy this trade deadline. Toney has played just 12 games in his NFL career, and in the 2022 season he has two receptions for precisely zero yards.
Of course, the Florida Gator product came into the NFL with loads of promise, but largely, that has not been evident on the field so far in his career. There’s a chance that this changes with Patrick Mahomes at QB, but the fact that New York got a Day Two pick for a player with fewer than a season of NFL games under his belt and who has consistent injury troubles is troubling for the Vikings chances in the market.
Of course, Toney is under team control through the 2024 season. His cap hits are tiny as well with just $1.9 million in 2023 and $2.5 million in 2024. Meanwhile, Jeudy is under contract only through the 2023 season and could command a lucrative contract much like Justin Jefferson. Cooks also carries large cap hits and remains under contract through 2024.
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Perhaps the combination of a short-term contract and price tag causes the amount of draft capital to drop for either of these players. However, at this point, talent is as big a factor as any. Both Cooks and Jeudy would be immediate WR2 caliber players for Minnesota. Meanwhile, we aren’t sure if Toney is any better than KJ Osborn.
Considering that Minnesota could find a talented receiver in the 2023 Draft just as easily as trade for one at the deadline, this recent turn of events could be a cause for caution from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.