If the Vikings were to get Panthers Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner, that would be great for the offensive line, but what would they have to give up?
It’s uncertain what an offensive lineman of Turner’s caliber would garner in the current trade market, but I think with where the Panthers are at right now, there’s a good chance they would be asking the Vikings for at least one pick. If Turner’s asking price is multiple picks in the early rounds, the Vikings should hold off on trading for him.
Think about it. There are a lot of positional needs to be filled with the Vikings right now, and though it would be nice to have a big upgrade at the guard position, there are other needs for Minnesota that are glaring.
With the salary cap situation and players going into free agency, this is a big NFL Draft for the Vikings. The team will likely have to rely on at least the first two picks becoming starters in 2020-21. Can the team afford to give up one, maybe even two of its picks from the first four rounds? Probably not.
And there’s the problem with the salary cap. Over The Cap reported that Turner would be a cap hit of more than $12.8 million, to a Minnesota salary cap that cannot handle it unless players, currently on the team and not just picks, are traded.
Stefon Diggs has acted strange on social media in the offseason, but a Diggs trade would require Carolina to give up more than just Turner. Players with somewhat big contracts that the Panthers might be interested in are Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. But those two are not only pretty important members of the defense, but also getting paid less than Turner, so it would still be a net negative to the cap. This trade, before Minnesota cuts a bunch of players to save money, probably won’t work.
It sure would make the interior offensive line good, though.