The Buzzy Vikings Rumor Gets a Fresh Gust of Wind
Seeing Drake Maye take on Sam Darnold in the Super Bowl could be perhaps the worst outcome possible in the Twin Cities. The young fella was a trade target for Minnesota while the veteran was actually employed in Minnesota.
Given what took place at QB in 2025 — most notably, terrible passer play primarily leading to a 9-8 record before then firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — a buzzy Vikings rumor is now getting a fresh gust of wind.
On social media, there has been some focus on Minnesota missing on Maye. The Vikings owned the No. 11 selection going into the 2024 NFL Draft, but were armed with another 1st alongside future draft picks. Putting together an appealing, can’t-say-no package wasn’t out of the question if the Vikings felt like Maye would be the long-term franchise passer. Did the possibility of trading for Maye ever get close to reality?
The Vikings Rumor Comes Back from the Dead
Chad Graff is uniquely qualified to comment on the issue.
For a little while, Graff was working as the Vikings beat writer for The Athletic. He then shuffled positions, doing the same job but for the Patriots. Presumably, he can offer some nice insight relating to a potential blockbuster between the Vikings and Patriots. Check out his recent take on the deal that didn’t materialize: “No doubt KOC loved Maye. But hard to blame Kwesi for not getting No. 3. The Pats weren’t moving off that pick.”
National reporter Albert Breer jumped into the conversation, as well.
Check out what Breer had to say about the offer coming over from the Vikings: “The Vikings offered the 11th and 23rd picks in 2024, and their 2025 first-round pick to the Patriots for the third pick. They LOVED Drake Maye. New England wouldn’t budge. But if a team sitting at 3 would have, this probably looks different.”
Okay, a few ideas to digest.
Per the insider word, the Vikings did have interest in moving up for a new QB1. In fact, the Vikings did construct a modest move up the board, doing so to select J.J. McCarthy at No. 10.
Prior to doing so for McCarthy, an offer got made for Maye, as Breer explains. Sending over a trio of 1st-Round selections is a serious offer. New England declined.
Anyone could see going into the event that landing one of the coveted passers was necessary, with ample focus being on both of Maye and McCarthy. In the end, the expected happened of a more modest McCarthy selection even if Maye is someone whom O’Connell thought highly of.
So, the Vikings rumor does appear to have at least one foot in reality. The great issue is that the Patriots weren’t interested in trading the draft pick that got used on Drake Maye.
In the 2025 regular season, Maye completed a sizzling 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He got sent to the Pro Bowl, which he can’t attend due to the Super Bowl. There was then a spot as a second-team All Pro. He’s in contention for league MVP, too.
In other words, the 23-year-old passer is already an elite starting quarterback.
Meanwhile, J.J. McCarthy did less with more as the Vikings’ QB1. The season finished with completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Benchable numbers were it not for his draft status alongside the shortage of viable replacements during the season.
Worse yet, there are legitimate, ongoing concerns about whether McCarthy can handle NFL ruggedness. The sophomore has missed a ton of time due to injury.
Worth noting, of course, that neither of Drake Maye nor J.J. McCarthy are anywhere close to the end of their NFL careers. The possibility is out there that Maye is a stud for the Patriots while McCarthy turns into one for the Vikings, too.
The early word on that Vikings rumor, though, does leave many who cheer for the team disappointed with how things played out. In reality, the Maye miss was largely out of Minnesota’s control; New England wanted to stick and pick. The real issue is that the Darnold departure looks like the true fumble.
The Super Bowl is taking place on Sunday, February 8th.
