What is the Minnesota Vikings' worst trade of the last 10 years?

The general consensus among Vikings fans — which I agree with — is that there are several clearly worse trades than that one. The 2016 Vikings were coming off of an NFC North title and found themselves in need of a starting quarterback after Teddy Bridgewater's awful knee injury in training camp. So then-GM Rick Spielman dealt for Bradford, out of necessity more than anything else. The rest of that roster was ready to compete. A move had to be made.

Bradford played reasonably well in 2016, although the Vikings fell apart after a 5-0 start and missed the playoffs at 8-8. He then shredded the Saints in Week 1 of the following season before getting hurt — and we all know what Case Keenum and company did after that.

Bradford could've worked out well for the Vikings with some better offensive line play and health. Not having a first-round pick in 2017 wasn't ideal, but second-rounder Dalvin Cook panned out, and the Vikings mostly wasted their firsts in 2016 (Laquon Treadwell) and 2018 (Mike Hughes) anyways. That trade might not even be a finalist in the discussion of the franchise's worst deals since 2016.

Here are a few more egregious ones:

Trading for Yannick Ngakoue (2020)

A worse desperation trade from Spielman happened in 2020, when he acquired pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Jaguars amid fears that Danielle Hunter would miss the season with a neck injury. The Vikings sent a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder to Jacksonville for Ngakoue, who didn't fit very well on their defensive line despite having five sacks in the first six games of the year.

Less than two months after that trade, with the Vikings at 1-5, Spielman acknowledged the mistake and sent Ngakoue — who was a pending free agent — to the Ravens for a third-rounder and a fifth. The result was moving down 45 spots on Day 2 in exchange for six games from Ngakoue in a lost season.

Kwesi's big move down the board (2022)

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who replaced Spielman in 2022, has largely done an excellent job in the role, which is why he earned a multi-year extension this week. But his first big move did not age well at all. During the 2022 draft, Adofo-Mensah traded the 12th overall pick and pick 46 to the Lions for picks 32, 34, and 66. It was a stunning move with a division rival. And even if the chart-based value was OK, it looks brutal in hindsight.

The Vikings passed on players like Kyle Hamilton and Trent McDuffie and wound up taking Lewis Cine at 32. The Lions, in moving up to 12, landed Jameson Williams, who had 1,000 yards last season and looks like a huge part of their present and future. That entire draft was a nightmare for Adofo-Mensah, who has since admitted he may have tried to do too much at once.

Trading for Chris Herndon (2021)

This was another desperation trade from Spielman in his final year as the Vikings' GM. With starting tight end Irv Smith Jr. set to undergo season-ending surgery, Minnesota sent a 2022 fourth-round pick to the Jets for Herndon and a sixth. It did not work out at all. Herndon played fewer than 200 snaps that season, caught a total of four passes, and even committed a couple brutal penalties in a Week 5 game against the Lions.

Trading for Kaare Vedvik (2019)

Here's one more Spielman desperation move for good measure. Remember the name Kaare Vedvik? He was a punter/kicker hybrid who the Vikings dealt a fifth-round pick to acquire in August 2019. He was cut three weeks later and only appeared in one regular season NFL game (for the Jets) in his career.

I'd argue all four of those are worse than the Bradford deal.

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