The Minnesota Vikings entered Sunday somewhere in between the clear tiers of potential buyers and sellers at the trade deadline after their resurgence the last four weeks.
The franchise could certainly have convinced itself to buy at the deadline, given the recent turnaround and quartet of close losses amid a 3-4 start, most recently winning three of their last four games.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins sustaining a potentially serious injury during Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers could change the franchise’s calculus, though, and potentially shift general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s strategy to selling ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline.
Minnesota Vikings Trade Deadline Moves
Trade WR Justin Jefferson
If Cousins’ prognosis does come back poor, Jefferson could quickly become a hot commodity on the trade market.
His base salary is set to balloon from just under $2.4 million to around $19.7 million next season, which is also the final year of his current contract. Moving on from that potential burden could be in the Vikings’ best interest, particularly as their prospects of contending in the near future continue to shrink.
Jefferson’s skill set would certainly be attractive to plenty of potential trade partners. He has quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers and put up career numbers of 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games last season.
Jefferson has not played since Minnesota’s Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury. He tallied 53 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns through the first five games of the season.
Although Jefferson’s health would obviously be a concern in any potential trade, he is eligible to return as soon as Week 10 and could provide contenders a key spark down the stretch.
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The Kansas City Chiefs are one team that could use some help at wide receiver, though Jefferson is likely out of their price range. The Detroit Lions are another team that could look to add talent out wide as they look to bolster their contention efforts.
Rumors will certainly swirl in the coming days as to whether the Vikings will ultimately move him elsewhere.
Trade EDGE Danielle Hunter
Minnesota also has several defensive pieces that could be coveted across the league — if available — and Hunter would likely be near the top of the list.
The Vikings would also have plenty of incentive to move Hunter, given he’s in a contract year and unlikely to re-sign with a team that’s trending away from contention again. The veteran defensive lineman’s continued production, though, would still likely command significant value in a trade.
Hunter has been Minnesota’s top pass rusher by far this season and racked up 34 tackles (24 solo), 12 tackles for a loss, nine sacks, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble through the first seven games of the season. He contributed three tackles and a sack on Sunday.
The veteran defensive lineman has spent his entire NFL career with the Vikings, earning Pro Bowl selections in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He has already nearly matched last year’s total of 10.5 sacks with more than half the season remaining.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks are among the teams that could use help at the edge rusher position, as are the Baltimore Ravens. All three look poised to be buyers at the trade deadline and might target Hunter.
All of that would surely warrant plenty of suitors on the trade market if Minnesota makes him available.
Trade LB Jordan Hicks
Hicks is another of the Vikings’ highly regarded players who could be available in a trade, particularly playing in the final year of his contract.
The veteran linebacker remains a key force at the heart of Minnesota’s defense and a likely trade chip, given his expiring deal. His base salary of just $3.25 million would make a trade relatively easy to work financially, particularly since a potential trade partner would only be responsible for about half of that figure.
Hicks entered Sunday’s contest as the Vikings’ second-leading tackler on the season with 61 total stops (34 solo), three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one interception and a forced fumble. He added eight tackles (four solo) in Sunday’s win over the Packers.
The Buffalo Bills are one contender that could use some help at the linebacker spot, as are the Dallas Cowboys, given their injury issues at the position.
Needless to say, there would be a market for Hicks if Minnesota looked to move him elsewhere.
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