Category: Trade Deadline

Conditions on trade for T.J. Hockenson revealed

The conditions for the 2024 fourth-round pick have been revealed

[listicle id=68351]The Minnesota Vikings traded for Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson on Tuesday before the trade deadline.

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In the trade, the Vikings received Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick.

When the trade was announced, the conditions on the 2024 fourth-round pick were unknown. They were announced less than two hours after the trade by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

These conditions are relatively fair in principle, and it is exemplified by the Rich Hill trade chart. According to the chart, the Vikings gave up the equivalent of the 69th overall pick for Hockenson, which is a tremendous deal for the young start.

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If the condition is met, the value is less for the Vikings, but winning a playoff game is an objectively good thing, so it’s relatively meaningless at that point. Essentially, if Hockenson is anything close to what we think he will be, the Vikings outright won the trade.

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Twitter is thrilled with Vikings addition of T.J. Hockenson

Twitter loves the Vikings trade for T.J. Hockenson

The Minnesota Vikings made a big splash on Tuesday less than four hours before the trade deadline in acquiring T.J. Hockenson from the Detroit Lions.

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The move didn’t come without its cost, as the Vikings turned their second-round pick in 2022 and third-round pick in 2023 into fourth-round picks.

The move itself is right out of the playbook thus far of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, as Hockenson is a talented player with team control through 2023, a theme that was evident in acquiring Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock.

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The news about this trade was widespread and mostly positive towards the Vikings who are taking this competitive rebuild very seriously while also making a run toward a potential division title and Super Bowl.

Vikings go all-in at the trade deadline, acquire T.J. Hockenson from Lions

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah makes a blockbuster move on trade deadline day

There was rampant speculation that the Minnesota Vikings would make a trade at the deadline with their 6-1 start. The speculation was more rooted in wide receiver with the struggles of the corps as a whole.

With the injury on Sunday to Irv Smith Jr., the Vikings decided to go all-in at the tight end position, trading for Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson in a blockbuster deal.

The Vikings’ offense is predicated on being able to have a tight end that blocks and can also catch passes at a high level. They somewhat had that with Smith Jr. but he is always injured.

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With Hockenson, you essentially have a better version of Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, who is a very important part of the offense there and an archetype that head coach Kevin O’Connell knows very well.

The Vikings did pay a premium in giving up a second-round pick in 2022 and a third-round pick in 2023. The nice part about the fourth-round picks that the Vikings got in each of the next two years is that they will likely be high picks with the Lions still struggling.

Stay tuned to the Vikings Wire for more analysis on this blockbuster trade.

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7 tight ends Vikings could target with Irv Smith Jr. injured

The news regarding Irv Smith Jr. isn’t great, but there are options out there at tight end for the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings got dealt a rough blow at the end of the win over the Arizona Cardinals 34-26 on Sunday when Irv Smith Jr. injured his ankle on the final offensive possession of the game.

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With word that he likely has a high ankle sprain, that means he could be out for upwards of six weeks.

With that in mind, the Vikings will need to look outside the organization for depth at tight end because Ben Ellefson is on injured reserve. Here are seven tight ends the Vikings could target at the trade deadline and in free agency.

The Vikings have inquired about Texans WR Brandin Cooks

The Vikings continue to call about veteran wide receivers before the trade deadline

The trade deadline is a mere three days away and the trade rumors are getting hotter and hotter. Multiple teams have inquired about Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks and that includes the Minnesota Vikings according to Jordan Schultz.

Schultz also noted that Cooks only wants to go to a contender if he is traded. Host of Locked on Vikings Luke Braun noted that only the Vikings lead their division of this group of teams. The Rams and Packers, while both being under .500 on the season, they were preseason favorites to make the Super Bowl out of the NFC.

This is in line with the multiple sources that have reported the Vikings have been looking for a wide receiver. Jerry Jeudy and Chase Claypool have also been brought up and SKOR North’s Darren “Doogie” Wolfson has brought his name up prior.

The Vikings would be wise to bring in Cooks from a talent and team building perspective. They have a really good group of receivers at the top, but they don’t have a quality field stretcher. He provides that deep-threat ability along with after the catch ability with his speed and quickness.

The cost for the Vikings would be high, as they would likely have to send the Texans at least a second-round pick and his contract is not great for where the Vikings are in regard to their cap situation.

This year, the Vikings would be on the hook for a prorated portion of his $1.168 million salary. Next season would be the issue. The Vikings would be on the hook for Cooks’ $18 million guaranteed salary. If they see Cooks as a part of the future for the Vikings, that is a February problem for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Also, Cooks’ experience playing with Sean McVay for two years so his translation to the offense would be minimal.

The Vikings only have a few days to make a decision, but it could be one that would change the course of this team moving forward.

Teams are continuing to call about an Alexander Mattison trade

The Vikings’ backup running back is the target of trade talks once again

The Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison has been the subject of trade rumors for the last couple of months. They were really heavy around cutdown day at the end of August but the Vikings didn’t make a move.

Now that the trade deadline is five days away, those talks have been rekindled per Heavy’s Matt Lombardo.

One of the reasons that the Vikings didn’t move on from Mattison around cutdown day was due to starting running back Dalvin Cook having a history of getting injured. He has immense value to the Vikings for that reason. They have been using him more on third down with Cook re-injuring his shoulder in week three.

The trade market is likely too low for the Vikings to make a trade, as James Robinson, who arguably has a better track record than Mattison does, went to the Jets for a conditional fifth-round pick. With the Vikings prioritizing Mattison, the likely asking price is likely high, with it potentially being a third-round pick.

With the Vikings making a run for the NFC North title, keeping a key depth piece is the smart move.

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PFF sends Vikings a cornerback in latest trade proposal

PFF has the Vikings trading for a cornerback that happens to be an old friend of Ed Donatell

The Minnesota Vikings could very easily be active at the trade deadline. We have explored the possibility of adding quite a few different positions, especially wide receiver. One position that we have also hypothesized about is cornerback and the analysts agree.

In a recent article for PFF, Brad Spielberger sent the Vikings cornerback K’Waun Williams from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fifth round pick that would be conditional with the condition being that it would turn into the Vikings compensatory pick that they are currently projected to receive.

Spielberger went in-depth on the decision, including the link between Williams and Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

“The Vikings currently have the league’s worst grade for defenders lined up in the slot (43.8), and Williams has a proven track record over the past decade of consistent play in all facets, grading above 60.0 as a run-defender and in coverage for every season of his career beyond his rookie campaign.

The Vikings and Broncos are first and third, respectively, in percent of coverage snaps lined up in Cover 6, with Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell holding that position in Denver last season. Both defenses are zone coverage-heavy, so Williams should transition seamlessly. Broncos general manager George Paton was the assistant general manager for the Vikings for almost a decade, another connection between the two clubs that have already traded with each other since he made the move out west in 2021.”

This move could be very fruitful for the Vikings and at a minor cost. Chandon Sullivan has been really bad for the Vikings and upgrading that spot in the slot will be a big addition to the Vikings defense.

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4 ways the Vikings can make a trade work with the salary cap

The Vikings are without much wiggle room on the salary cap, but they do have ways to maneuver around it. Here are four that make sense

The Minnesota Vikings are in a position where they could be buyers at the trade deadline. Sitting at 5-1 with a quasi-3.5 game lead in the NFC North, the Vikings have excellent odds to take their first NFC North crown since 2017.

One of the ways the Vikings can improve their chances to make a run this season is by making a trade and improving the roster this year. We have explored in a few pieces so far about what the Vikings could or should do at the deadline, but there is a catch. The Vikings don’t have a lot of cap space.

There are ways around that, but they can be costly. We identified four ways for the Vikings could create cap space.

Previous articles:

3 positions they could target
Zulgad on Odell Beckham Jr.
Zulgad on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Should the Vikings trade for Elijah Moore?
The Vikings should trade for Jerry Jeudy

One player each NFL team could trade before the deadline, from Chase Claypool to Melvin Gordon

Ahead of the NFL trade deadline, here are some players who could be on the move, including Chase Claypool, Melvin Gordon and Elijah Moore.

The NFL’s trade deadline is fast approaching, and there have already been some players on the move. That includes the Carolina Panthers recently dealing running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals.

There are a number of contending teams that could be looking to shore up an area of weakness as they aim to make a postseason run. Not to mention, there are a number of struggling teams looking to sell some big-name players to acquire additional draft capital.

Ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline, let’s look at some other players who might be on the move, with one from every NFL team, as assembled by our NFL Wires staff.

Pre-trade deadline update on the Vikings salary cap situation

The Vikings could easily be buyers at the trade deadline but does the salary cap allow them to make a splash?

The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to be 6-1 entering the trade deadline after the conclusion of week eight. That raises the question as to whether the Vikings should be buyers at the trade deadline.

We have explored this in a few pieces this week.

However, that doesn’t always mean that a presumed fit should be acted on. There are numerous reasons that trades don’t get acted on and the main one is the salary cap.

According to Over the Cap, a website that is dedicated to breaking down the salary cap and its nuances, the Vikings currently sit last in the National Football League with only $862,928.

Along with that, the Vikings are projected to be 24th in cap space heading into 2023 with $6,612,524 in available cap space with only 42 players under contract. The number is so low because the Vikings restructured the contracts of Adam Thielen and Danielle Hunter and pushed their money into future years.

Could the Vikings make some more money open up this year to make a move? Absolutely they can. Dalvin Cook, Brian O’Neill and Eric Kendricks can all be restructured to create space but both Cook and Kendricks aren’t likely to be with the team long-term after this season.

They could also extend a player to create space. Dalvin Tomlinson is one that could see an extension because he has played so dominantly this season. Him and of course, there is the option of extending the least controversial figure in all of Minnesota sports, Kirk Cousins.

The Vikings could go all out and try to make a splashy move but it would come at a (likely) major cost. The Vikings will likely stay pat unless they can acquire a player for little financial cost like Ross Blacklock or Jalen Reagor.