Vikings Rumors: A Silver-Medal Player, Meeting w/ FAs, & 10 Trade Targets
K. Joudry
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Though we’re now into the portion of the year when Vikings rumors aren’t as abundant, we’ll still be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss the purple player who captures the silver medal, Minnesota’s ongoing effort to court free agents, and 10 trade targets within the Vikings’ orbit.
The Vikings Rumors – 08.09.2023
Rumor #1 — The Vikings Have an (Ultra?) Elite Player on Their Roster
At some point, one wonders if “elite” still does the trick. Does snagging the silver medal in the entire NFL — being named the 2nd-best player in the league — cause us to step back and re-assess how we’re describing Justin Jefferson? Does the word “elite” need an extra descriptor?
Wording confusion aside, it’s safe to say that Mr. Jefferson has something figured out when it comes to playing football.
Earlier in the week, we learned that Jefferson was second to only the great Patrick Mahomes. Otherwise, the NFL’s players think that #18 is the best player in the NFL. Not bad for someone who was picked 22nd overall just a few years ago.
Some may have been surprised to see the WR rank so highly (I was among them). To be sure, Jefferson deserves a very high ranking, but 2nd place is pretty wild. He overcame sensational talents like Joe Burrow, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, Davante Adams, and Trent Williams. Each one of those players — and many more — would have a reasonable claim on finishing above Minnesota’s pass catcher.
Moreover, we mustn’t forget that Jefferson can keep improving. One thinks of the touchdown department as an area where the receiver can continue to improve. Regardless, he has been putting up historic numbers, so his peers have taken notice.
Rumor #2 — The Vikings Continue Meeting with Free Agents in an Effort to Improve the Roster
Indeed. The Vikings have been relatively active as of late.
At first, we learned that guard Dalton Risner came in for a visit. He has spent his career with the Denver Broncos, providing some solid pass blocking along the way. The appeal of Risner is that he’d push both Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram to elevate their game. If they don’t, then Risner could steal away a starting spot. He’s a left guard by trade.
Otherwise, the Ronald Darby meeting raised some eyebrows (in a good way). Plenty of uncertainty at corner, so firing up a conversation with the veteran CB is welcome news for a lot of Vikings fans. In the past, Darby has been a starting-level corner who has won a Super Bowl.
As of right now, nothing has materialized with Darby (or Risner, for that matter). Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell are still evaluating the talent that’s already in-house. If, for one reason or another, the GM and HC believe that a veteran addition would be helpful, then Risner and/or Darby are names to keep in mind.
Minnesota is sitting on roughly $10.25 million in cap space.
Rumor #3 — Minnesota Has Plenty of Trade Targets on its Radar
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is always interested in improving his team. After all, that’s basically his entire mandate as the team’s general manager.
Given that he has pulled off 15 trades, Adofo-Mensah is likely still interested making trades. His competitive rebuild philosophy guides how he approaches the situation. When bringing players aboard, Adofo-Mensah likes to target youth, a high draft slot, a low cap hit, and a position of need.
Some of the players who are featured on the recent PurplePTSD exploration of trade targets are edge rusher Chase Young, linebacker Isaiah Simmons, and offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg. The article considers seven other players, so feel free to check out who makes sense for Minnesota.
On August 29th, teams across the NFL trim their roster down to 53 players. Expect a trade flurry to occur around that climactic date. Given his history, Kwesi is unlikely to fully stay on the sidelines as players get moved around. I, for one, will be looking for the GM to pull off a deal(s) before the regular season arrives.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
