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The Minnesota Vikings are at a franchise fork in the road, and this offseason could potentially be the most important one in the careers of head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The worst-kept secret in the NFL is that the Vikings are salivating at the opportunity to trade up from the 11th overall selection in the draft to take a quarterback after Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
All the #Vikings draft rumors I’ve been able to gather this week
1. Vikings will try to trade into the top 5 for Maye/McCarthy
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2. The Vikings won’t be able to trade up will stick and pick at 11 & 23
3. The Vikings would prefer Penix over Nix
4. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough— Myles Gorham (@MylesGorham85) April 24, 2024
It is quite possible that Minnesota will not trade up this season. The most common predicted scenario involving moving up from pick 11 involves a trade with the New England Patriots to pick No. 3. However, many reports suggest that the Patriots are content with staying steady and drafting whoever is left on the board between Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. Some reports even suggest the Vikings are also content staying where they are, too, though the team has been quite aggressive at pursuing a trade.
The clearest piece of evidence of interest in trading up is the trade for the Houston Texans' 23rd pick over a month ago. This gives the Vikings more ammunition than other teams who may be interested in trading up, as now they have two first-rounders this year and future first-rounders to entice teams ahead of them. Most of the reporting suggests that any trade-up will be either with the Patriots at third or the Los Angeles Chargers at fifth, both for likely different players.
Trade-Up Scenario 1: Trade with New England Patriots
It’s no secret that the #Vikings love QB Drake Maye. Here’s what Maye had to say about his relationship with the teams newly hired QB coach Josh McCown:
“He coached me in high school. His two sons Owen and Aiden were some of my best friends in high school, we still play video… pic.twitter.com/2yPuwHTqg4
— Vikings Nation (@vikingsnationmn) April 24, 2024
Trading with New England remains a popular rumor and all evidence suggests that this would be for Drake Maye. Charles Robinson, writer for Yahoo Sports, seems to think the Vikings prefer Maye over any other quarterback prospect they can realistically attain, stating that among other teams in the league, "it's believed Minnesota's top target is Maye."
Maye has a history with the Vikings' new quarterbacks coach, Josh McCown, and fits in well with the style of offense that the Vikings run; however, it takes two to tango. The Patriots seem to think that Maye is the type of quarterback that would thrive in their system and would need a massive haul to trade down to pick 11. Still, if the Vikings like Maye more than any other option, do not be surprised if they provide New England with that haul.
Trade-Up Scenario 2: Trade with Los Angeles Chargers
"It would mean the world. Just because Coach (Kevin) O'Connell, he's a guy that I'd run through a brick wall for."
-JJ McCarthy on potentially playing for the Vikings pic.twitter.com/FrM1SAmJrM
— FirstSportz NFL (@FirstSportz_NFL) April 24, 2024
The second option is cheaper -- trading up to the fifth pick with the Chargers for fewer picks. This route would most likely net Minnesota with J.J. McCarthy, the controversial quarterback with a lot of tools and relatively little experience putting those tools to use.
For what it's worth, McCarthy publicly referred to potentially being a Viking as "a dream come true" on Adam Schefter's podcast earlier this week, suggesting the time that Minnesota spent with the quarterback has landed quite well with the national championship-winning quarterback.
The Chargers are more likely to be willing to trade down given their roster holes and Justin Herbert eliminating the need for a quarterback themselves, so look for the Vikings snagging the fifth pick if they can't land the Patriots pick.
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