In need of a long-term answer at quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings have consistently been connected to a trade-up from the No. 11 spot to acquire one of the class’ top passers.
General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah recently confirmed there are multiple signal-callers the team is high on, but Minnesota could of course elect to remain in place if the asking price for a trade becomes too high.
“It’s a very deep class,” Adofo-Mensah said via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “But I do think you have to be ready for every scenario. If there’s elite players at premium positions on the board, I don’t think you’re supposed to reach or force or anything like that. It’s just not what I believe, all the while understanding that [quarterback] is the most important position in the sport. So, it’s calculating both those things at the same time.”
When the Vikings pulled off a deal with the Texans to add the 23rd selection in April’s draft, rumors intensified that an aggressive move up the board could be in play. To that point, a recent report stated the team’s ownership is eyeing a high-profile investment under center, something which could require a costly trade-up maneuver (and, of course, a willing trade partner).
Moving into the top five of the order would give Minnesota access to at least one member of the top QB tier and thus a successor to Sam Darnold.
The latter signed a one-year, $10M deal in free agency to serve as a stopgap option following Kirk Cousins‘ departure. As Seifert notes, Adofo-Mensah was willing to hold firm on his valuation of Cousins, deciding against a commitment of guaranteed money beyond the first year of another new deal with the 35-year-old.
Maintaining a similar approach in negotiations with teams currently holding premium draft picks could drive the Vikings to wait until Day Two this April (or the 2025 draft) to find a development quarterback.
“You’re in a blind auction in a sense,” Adofo-Mensah added. “And you don’t know when the next person is going to raise their hand and call a name. And so, you’ve really just got to be strategic about how you position yourself… That’s how we’ve got to look at the board in every place. And then we’ll come up with our valuations for every player in that way, and we’ll make our calls and we’ll go from there. And ultimately, if the league is willing to do something that we are not willing to do, we can’t let that necessarily dictate our actions.”
Indeed, teams like the Raiders and Broncos are known to be in the market for a similar trade aimed at landing a top QB prospect. If Vegas and/or Denver is prepared to pay a higher price than Minnesota, the latter team could use its existing resources to fill other roster spots.
Still, the Vikings have the draft capital needed to win a potential bidding war, and they will therefore remain a team to watch closely as the draft draws nearer.
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