The Vikings Turned Down a Trade in the First Round of the 2023 Draft
Josh Frey
|
The Minnesota Vikings went into the 2023 NFL Draft having a number of different options in the first round. They could have traded up for a quarterback, traded back for more draft assets, or stuck at No. 23 overall to take the best prospect available.
Ultimately, of course, Minnesota selected wide receiver Jordan Addison with that pick, but apparently, the Vikings turned down a trade before making that decision.
On Friday, the Vikings released a 15-minute video that gives fans an inside look at the happenings of draft weekend, including Addison’s draft night ‘oops’ of hanging up on a number of people in the organization.
In that video, it became apparent that the Vikings were contemplating a trade in the first round prior to making the selection of Addison. Based on a similar video from the New York Giants draft room, the offer came from the Giants, who were desperately trying to trade up from No. 25 in order to select CB Deonte Banks.
It is unclear exactly what the Giants offered Minnesota, but it’s hard to imagine it could have been a draft-altering amount in order to move up two spots. A short exchange regarding the trade offer between general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell all but confirms this as the case.
“We talked about this one. It had to be a ‘blow you [away]’. Does it blow you away?” asked O’Connell.
“No,” Adofo-Mensah answered.
“Well, then there’s your answer,” O’Connell responded.
The Vikings wouldn’t take the deal, but the Giants would find a trade partner in the Jacksonville Jaguars in order to move up one spot and take Banks at No. 24. Jacksonville would land OT Anton Harrison at No. 25.
Over the course of his first year-plus as the Vikings general manager, Adofo-Mensah has gotten a reputation for ‘wheeling and dealing’ with his trades. So far, he’s come up with 14 trades in his tenure with the Vikings, essentially equaling out to almost one trade per month.
However, declining this deal is further proof that Adofo-Mensah doesn’t make trades just for the sake of trading. He is meticulous with his deals, ensuring the value is there for each deal rather than just firing from the hip.
This is just one tidbit from a very interesting video put out by the Vikings organization, so be sure to check out the full thing over on their YouTube channel.
