Vikings Reportedly Tried to Trade for a Different Receiver
The Minnesota Vikings have been prominently in the news recently. For days, Skol Nation was awaiting the next update in the Adam Thielen sweepstakes, and on Wednesday, the big report arrived: Thielen would come back to the Twin Cities after spending a pair of seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Vikings Reportedly Tried to Trade for a Different Receiver
That deal elevates the receiving corps that had been haunted by injuries. Justin Jefferson missed most of training camp with a hamstring, Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending injury, and Jalen Nailor got banged up, too. Paired with Jordan Addison’s suspension for three games, the receiving group for the Week 1 matchup didn’t look too good.
A few hours after the Thielen headlines were printed, a report came out that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also had trade negotiations for a different receiver. Ex-Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne was in consideration as well.
Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reported, “The #Patriots are releasing WR Kendrick Bourne upon request after they failed to finalize a trade that would have sent him to Minnesota, per source. Bourne is healthy and was expected to practice today had he remained in New England.”
Bourne would’ve been a decent get, too. The receiver brings a ton of experience to the table and has always been a productive WR2 or WR3. He spent his first four seasons with the 49ers and then four years with the Patriots.
Darren Hartwell of NBC Boston noted, “Bourne was one of eight wide receivers on the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster after making the team Tuesday along with Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism and Javon Baker.”
The Patriots just had too many receivers on the roster, and parting ways with the 30-year-old instead of showing a rookie or a sophomore the door is a reasonable decision.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter also mentioned the Vikings as a potential trade destination: “Vikings had expressed interest in Kendrick Bourne prior to the Adam Thielen trade, and others also are expected to be interested.”
His season average is 45 catches for 569 yards and three touchdowns. That could’ve gotten the job done for three games until Addison returns to the lineup. The trade fell flat, but he could still come to Minnesota, now that he’s been released. And now, the acquisition would happen without giving up draft capital in a trade.
Mike Garafolo is another guy to link the Vikings to Bourne: “The #49ers seem like a logical landing spot but the #Vikings had interest and a few other teams are likely to show interest now that Kendrick Bourne is a free agent. One to watch.”
Currently, the Vikes employ seven receivers (pending the official Thielen trade plus a corresponding roster move):
- Justin Jefferson
- Adam Thielen
- Jalen Nailor
- Tai Felton
- Tim Jones
- Myles Price
- Jordan Addison (suspended)
Nobody has ever complained about having too many weapons, but with Bourne, the Vikings might come close. The franchise also has target hog T.J. Hockenson demanding passes thrown his way, and the running game could be featured more this year. If the Vikings feel like they want another receiver, perhaps one with some returning experience makes more sense.
Bourne remains an option for Minnesota, just like many other players who got released or waived.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.