All of the Sudden, A Vikings Trade Theory Gets a Fresh Gust of Wind
Soon, all of the speculation will end and we’ll know what actually transpires. Until then, the Vikings trade theories will proliferate.
A recent one came courtesy of yours truly over on The Vikings Gazette. Minnesota’s pass defense has gotten scorched in recent weeks, at least partly due to being unable to matchup with the offensive weaponry lining up across from the defensive backfield. Is there someone out there who could help?
A (Potential) Vikings Trade to Consider
At 2-6, the Jets are staring down a lost season. Losing to the lowly Patriots may have been the final nail in the coffin.
Already, the team’s head coach has been fired and the offensive coordinator demoted. What remains for the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets? Well, a sell-off at the trade deadline can’t be ruled out. Yes, it’s a bit weird given that they just brought in Davante Adams, but the results simply aren’t there. Even worse, they share a division with the Buffalo Bills, a team that’s up to 6-2.
If the Jets do the reasonable thing by selling, would they move on from corner D.J. Reed? Consider some of what TVG had to offer on the subject:
At 27, Reed still has a decent bit of youth, fitting perfectly within the timeline for the competitively rebuilding Vikings (he’ll turn 28 on November 11th). Whether he makes sense to keep around as a Jet is a different story.
Only 5’9” and weighing just 188 pounds, Reed looks like a slot corner but he has been thriving along the outside. He has picked up 282 boundary snaps and only 4 in the slot so far this season. More importantly, he has been doing marvellous work within that role.
Keep in mind that those words were written prior to New York’s Week 8 game, so some of the details will now be off by a bit. Even still, the broader takeaway remains: Reed is an excellent corner who is playing on a sinking (sunk?) ship.
In fact, the aforementioned piece on TVG discussed the upcoming Jets/Patriots game as a critical factor. If New York lost to such a brutal team in New England, could they really afford to be idle at the trade deadline?
Finally, some of the rationale for moving him out: “D.J. Reed is going to be a free agent in 2025; New York could lose him for nothing (or a compensatory selection). Does it make sense for them to get ahead of the issue by shopping him at the deadline? Would the player himself welcome the chance to play for a brilliant defensive coordinator and for a team that actually has a chance?”
Minnesota would have a new CB1 to partner with Stephon Gilmore, offering Brian Flores a formidable top pair of corners to roll out for the remainder of the season. Worth a phone call from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah?
If you feel so inclined, consider the rest of the piece on The Vikings Gazette.
The Vikings are sitting on close to $9.5 million in cap space.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
The Vikings Have 3 Offensive Line Options
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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
