If a Single Viking Signs Elsewhere, Minnesota Will Wrap Up Some Critical Unfinished Business
All long, the plan was for left tackle Cam Robinson to land a meaty deal as a free agent in March of 2025. Indeed, that single Vikings move would be a welcome development for the decision makers at TCO Performance Center.
Consider, for instance, what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had to say about the trade to bring Mr. Robinson to town in the first place: “We knew from an asset standpoint of what it would cost, but also potentially of what it could be on the back end and what that would net us as a team.” Not long afterwards, Adofo-Mensah said, “That one in particular, we feel really great about what we did.”
The Single Viking & The Hope in MIN’s Front Office
Go back to the original details of the trade.
In exchange for a conditional 4th/5th, the Vikings would acquire Cam Robinson alongside a conditional 7th. All the picks under consideration are for the 2026 NFL Draft. Basically, Minnesota agreed to tumble down the board in 2026 to get a starting-level left tackle for the remainder of the season.
Jacksonville recouped cap space, improved their draft capital, and were able to transition away from a veteran who apparently wasn’t in their plans. Meanwhile, Minnesota helped to keep their hopes alive for the 2024 season.
But, crucially, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t just thinking about the 2024 season. Nay, there was also a consideration of the future.
Go back and re-read the quote he offered when discussing the left tackle. The GM points toward the possibility of what the trade “could be on the back end and what that would net us as a team.” Translation: allowing Robinson to walk away as a free agent could mean gaining an extra compensatory selection.
As things stands, the Vikings are projected to snag the top compensatory selection in 2026 due to allowing Sam Darnold to get away, per Nick Korte. The low-end 3rd will still be a top-100 selection, so it’s definitely a coveted commodity.
Crucially, there’s potential to gain another draft pick (as Korte’s work suggests). Seeing Patrick Jones, Camryn Bynum, and Daniel Jones walk away means potentially picking up another pick. However, bringing in Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Isaiah Rodgers cancels out those potential picks. What’s needed is just one more internal free agent to get a beefy deal.
A critical factor to remember is that compensatory picks no longer apply once the NFL draft comes and goes. Savvy teams can (and do) wait until after that event to go back to the free-agent market, patching up roster holes after seeing what they brought in during the draft and within the UDFA haul, signing veterans with the freedom that comes from knowing that they aren’t forfeiting any future draft capital.
The single Vikings domino thus needs to fall prior to the 2025 NFL Draft taking place.
Cam Robinson, 29, may be looking for a large deal since he’s getting toward the end of his career. Landing some major money now could be his last opportunity to do so. If Robinson can get that deal soon enough, then we’ll look back at Adofo-Mensah’s trade as being a very savvy one.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and 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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
