Chargers cornerback Desmond King has been thrown into trade conversations after the team signed Chris Harris Jr. earlier this offseason. Talks slowed down, but they have started to arise again after a player-for-player trade idea was proposed by ESPN’s Field Yates.
Yates proposed a makeshift trade that would send King to the Vikings for offensive tackle Riley Reiff. Minnesota would also agree to pay $3.8 million of his base salary.
Los Angeles did a great job by reconstructing the offensive line by adding Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner. However, the team did not address the left tackle position that needs to be filled after the departure of Russell Okung.
Yates believes that Reiff would be a “dependable” option and he wouldn’t cost all that much, either.
“In this maneuver, Reiff would be acquired for two years and up to $18.85 million, a fair market price for a 31-year-old starter. Because Reiff does not have any guaranteed money due to him in 2021, the Chargers would have the chance to evaluate Reiff fully this season and reevaluate the need to address the left tackle spot further next offseason,” Yates said.
The Vikings could afford to trade Reiff because they drafted his eventual replacement, Ezra Cleveland in the second-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Rather than letting King play his final season under contract, the Chargers could be in a position where they could deal him to a team that’s in need of a proven cornerback, like the Vikings, and get a player that addresses a glaring position of need in return.
It’s difficult to see a player that was an All-Pro two seasons ago be shipped, but given how his presence might not be as needed due to the arrival of Harris Jr. and if they don’t foresee him being an extension candidate, it might not be as bad of an idea after all.