The Vikings Trade that Offers a Hint about Minnesota’s Future Swaps
At the 2023 NFL trade deadline, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided to move on from Ezra Cleveland. Doing so came as a surprise, but some time to digest the move led to some broad takeaways.
First off, there was a built-in replacement already on the roster in Dalton Risner. So, the Vikings trade didn’t leave Minnesota in too bad of a spot at Cleveland’s position. Plus, there was the matter of needing to pay the lineman since he was in the final year of his rookie deal. Adofo-Mensah has proven to be reluctant to pay interior linemen — both on offense and defense — so a trade made some sense.
The Vikings Trade that Helps Predict the Future
(At Least Somewhat)
The inverse has proven to be true in Minnesota.
Back in 2022, the Lions found themselves at a bit of a crossroads. Their season wasn’t going as hoped and their star tight end — T.J. Hockenson, the No. 8 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — would need to be paid before long. Rather then send over major money, Brad Holmes did the controversial: he traded a star player to Minnesota in exchange for some better draft picks.
In pulling off that trade, Adofo-Mensah basically guaranteed that an extension was upcoming. The tight end had the remainder of his 4th season and then a 5th-year option. In no world would it have been good enough to equip a division rival with better picks for just a season and a half of play from Hockenson.
The Vikings found a resolution: a four-year extension that’s tipping the scales at $66 million.
Shift things back to Ezra Cleveland. The left guard was young enough to fit into the competitive rebuild that Adofo-Mensah had (still is?) been implementing, but there were concerns about spending too much on the iOL. So, the deal involved making Cleveland a Jaguar. In exchange, the Vikings got a 6th-Round selection, the one that got sunk into OT Walter Rouse (read more).
Let’s not forget: Jacksonville eventually handed over a three-year agreement worth a total of $24 million, far more than Minnesota has been willing to spend at the position. One wonders, then, if the current iteration of the Vikings features any players who fit the same criteria as Cleveland.
Essentially, we’re thinking of players who are operating on the final year of their deal and are looking to get a hearty raise. The roster needs to have built-in replacements so that there isn’t a drop off in play. Or, at least, the drop off is fairly negligible. Bonus points get awarded if Adofo-Mensah has shown a reluctance to dish out major money at that specific position.
Any players fit that criteria?
As strange as it may sound, the first name to come to mind is Camryn Bynum. He, too, is entering Year 4 and is a Rick Spielman draft pick. He’s likely looking for a hearty raise and the track record with the current GM is one of modest spending at safety. Josh Metellus got a pair of years at $8 million in total money and Harrison Smith has been slashing dollars off his contract to stick around.
The cherry on top, at least for the criteria we’ve discussed, is that the presence of guys like Lewis Cine, Jay Ward, and especially Theo Jackson make a replacement somewhat plausible. Recent add Bobby McCain could even get factored into the mix.
Now, even after writing all of that out, a trade involving Bynum does seem unlikely. He’s a versatile defender who is well liked by his teammates and coaches. He works hard and is smart. Minnesota, in short, should be looking to keep those players, not send them out. But, in fairness, much of the same logic may have been applicable to Cleveland.
Of course, there are different types of trades that occur. Sending out a player before needing to construct a major raise is one way of doing things, but the GM has done other types of swaps.
Last offseason, Vederian Lowe got moved out for a 6th since he wasn’t going to make the team. That was about recouping an asset rather than losing someone for nothing. Plus, Adofo-Mensah has used this time of the year to welcome young, underperforming talent to town, such as in the deals for Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock.
One even wonders if there could be a player-for-player swap at some point, a change-of-scenery move that could potentially benefit the Vikings’ team as well as the trading partner’s team. That’s a move that’s more common in the NHL, but maybe the NFL starts taking notice.
The takeaway is simply that Minnesota’s GM is someone who has a well-earned reputation as a trader. Seeing him lean on past precedent to orchestrate a move(s) with similar motivations won’t be altogether surprising, especially since more draft picks for 2025 would be a welcome development in Minnesota.
Stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
