Not So Fast on Big Vikings Trade
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entered the 2025 offseason with the clear task of rebuilding the secondary as four big-time contributors were set to become free agents. Cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore left unsigned in March, and even backup Fabian Moreau departed. Only Byron Murphy Jr. was re-signed.
Not So Fast on Big Vikings Trade
To fix the issue, the club signed Isaiah Rodgers from the Super Bowl champs and hopes for a return of injured corner Mekhi Blackmon. Jeff Okudah was acquired, too.
Well, there’s still concern because none of those three is an established sure-fire starter, and having another one next to Murphy Jr. would be comforting, to say the least. That’s where the trade market enters the conversation, and one available player is superstar corner Jalen Ramsey.
He has been linked to the purple franchise recently. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, however, is not a fan of that theory. He appeared on KFAN this week, and proponents of the deal can’t be too happy about his reports.
About the trade idea, he said: “I’ve thought about that with the Vikings. I did check on that. I do not [expect it to happen], unless something changes with the money, then maybe they would get involved. From what I was told, the money would sort of a non-starter for Minnesota. I wouldn’t totally take it off the table, but I don’t have them on my short list.”
The Vikings aren’t on the short list, but it could still happen. That sounds an awful lot like the conversation about Super Bowl contenders every year.
More from Fowler: “I still have the Rams, and then it’s hard to figure out which team is going to be the mystery team. Seattle interests me because they have been looking at free agent corners, and they wanted to draft a corner and didn’t, so they still have a need there. And then Washington, from what I’ve heard, at least looked into it at one point.”
The Rams traded Ramsey to the Dolphins a couple of years ago. He received a big extension in the AFC East and is now 30 years old. Still, the Rams showed in 2024 that they aren’t too far away from another Super Bowl, so why not go all-in?
The Commanders already traded for Marshon Lattimore last year, and that didn’t go too well. Acquiring Ramsey would just feel like attempt number two. And the Seahawks? Sam Darnold’s franchise could, like most others, use a cornerback of Ramsey’s caliber, but does that really move the needle?
Fowler continued: “But a lot of these teams are spooked by the money because of the $24 million guaranteed. The Rams are sort of waiting it out. It’s really interesting. I do think it’ll get done, I just don’t know what it’s going to look like financially. But I know he’s supposed to get traded in somewhat short order, so I think in the next week or two I could see it coming together.”
The Vikings have some cap space left and could fit the deal somehow, but the long-term commitment for a player who will turn 31 in October at a position where explosiveness matters, like cornerback, is risky. Ramsey has four more years left on his contract.
Ramsey is a three-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. He was a key part of Los Angeles’ Super Bowl team that also clinched Kevin O’Connell a ring. He has played for the Jaguars, Rams, and Dolphins in his Hall of Fame career.
If the Vikings don’t come out victorious in the Ramsey sweepstakes, they will have Murphy Jr. handling one CB spot, while Rodgers, Blackmon, and Okudah handle the remaining spots. Depth players like Ambry Thomas and Dwight McGlothern will try to unseat those guys and enter the lineup.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.