Vikings Expected to Make Some Trade Noise
Think back to the Thursday night game in Los Angeles. The Vikings were never competitive during that contest, and in the aftermath, the future seemed quite bleak. J.J. McCarthy was still an unknown, and his last performance left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth while the playoff hopes were dwindling with a 3-4 record in a strong division and with a tough slate of games on the horizon.
Though nobody thought that team should be a playoff team anyway at that time. Suddenly, the Vikings are 4-4 and have just beaten a strong division rival on the road, and with the trade deadline looming, the approach might have changed for the operation that entered the season thinking it could make a run.
Vikings Expected to Make Some Trade Noise
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been aggressive in the past, trading for T.J. Hockenson in 2022, Joshua Dobbs in 2023, and Cam Robinson in 2024. What looked like a selling franchise a week ago could now be in buyer mode. After 2023, a quarterback could be the target once again.
Adam Schefter, ESPN, reported on Saturday, “The Minnesota Vikings did not want to head into this season without an experienced veteran backup quarterback, which is why when they traded Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles they already had a deal lined up with veteran Carson Wentz, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last week. If that was Minnesota’s thought process before the season, sources believe it would be the same now, with the Vikings still needing an experienced veteran backup for J.J. McCarthy.”
The Vikings have had an eventful quarterback carousel in the past eight months. Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold, and Nick Mullens all left in free agency. Mullens is now the backup in Jacksonville, while Jones and Darnold have had quite the success elsewhere.
Kevin O’Connell rolled with McCarthy and didn’t add a QB in free agency. Only McCarthy and Brett Rypien were on the roster until the draft, when the club traded for Sam Howell and signed undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
After the preseason, Rypien was cut, Howell was traded to Philadelphia, and Carson Wentz joined. The latter started five of the team’s eight games because of McCarthy’s ankle injury, but his season ended after a shoulder injury requiring surgery. John Wolford was signed to the practice squad, but a practice squad passer and two QBs with a combined three starts in their careers might not be the ideal mix.
Schefter floated some names, including an old friend, “Kirk Cousins would make sense, but the Falcons haven’t shown any willingness to trade him and Atlanta needs an experienced veteran backup of its own. The Giants have two experienced backups in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.”
Sure, Kirk Cousins fits the profile of an experienced quarterback, but the money aspect and the fact that Atlanta hasn’t budged and also wants to have an experienced backup make the deal unlikely. Perhaps getting one of the two veterans from the Giants is more realistic.
Jaxson Dart is starting for the Giants, and Russell Wilson was benched for him. Jameis Winston has been the third-stringer all year.
They have both played a ton of football in their careers. Winston has always been a boom-or-bust passer, while Wilson hasn’t been particularly impressive since leaving the Seahawks. Still, it’s not too far-fetched to expect them to steal a couple of games like Wentz did if they had to play for one reason or another.
Schefter concluded, “League sources believe Minnesota still could make a move for a quarterback by Tuesday’s deadline.”
The deadline is on Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT, and the Vikings could be active. They have also been rumored to be interested in adding some cornerback help.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.