Getty General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (L) and Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings can attempt multiple trades to get into the top five for a QB in this year’s NFL draft, but a deal with the Arizona Cardinals may be their best option.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report authored a trade pitch on Thursday, March 21 that would flip the Vikings’ two first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) for the fourth overall selection and a sixth-rounder from Arizona.
“There has been speculation galore from the moment the Vikings acquired the 23rd overall pick from Houston that it was ammunition to trade up for a quarterback,” Davenport wrote. “But if the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots aren’t willing to sacrifice their chance to draft a quarterback and Minnesota really is that desperate, the Vikings may have to take what they can get and (likely) grab [J.J.] McCarthy at No. 4.”
Vital for Vikings to Select Either Third or Fourth QB Off Draft Board in 2024
GettyNFL draft quarterback prospects J.J. McCarthy of Michigan (left) and Drake Maye of UNC (right).
The ideal situation for the Vikings would probably be to trade up with the Patriots at No. 3. The Chicago Bears are essentially a lock to draft Caleb Williams first, while most notable analysts — including Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates of ESPN — project the Commanders will select Jayden Daniels second.
Trading up to No. 3 would guarantee Minnesota the opportunity to draft its QB of choice, outside of Williams and Daniels. That player is probably Drake Maye of UNC, who played under Vikings new quarterbacks coach Josh McCown at his high school in Charlotte.
The problem in making a deal with the Patriots is that such an agreement is almost certain to cost Minnesota three first-round picks rather than the two Davenport floated in his proposed deal with the Cardinals, who sit just one spot lower.
For what it’s worth, Yates projected that the Vikings will trade up with the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5, predicting that move will cost Minnesota a total three firsts. If the Vikings are willing to part ways with three first-rounders over the next two years, they should try to move up as high as possible.
However, if Minnesota can’t convince the Patriots to deal the third for three firsts, targeting a trade with the Cardinals at pick No. 4 at least guarantees that no other teams — such as the New York Giants (No. 6) or Denver Broncos (No. 12) — sneak ahead of the Vikings and draft a fourth QB before they get on the clock.
That outcome could result in Maye coming off the board third and McCarthy going fourth, which would leave Minnesota in no man’s land.
Vikings Need to Find Long-Term Replacement for Kirk Cousins in This Draft
GettyMinnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (left) and former quarterback Kirk Cousins (right).
Minnesota can’t afford to miss out on whichever QB is left, Maye or McCarthy, if the team isn’t able to move into the No. 3 spot via a trade with the Patriots. The primary reason is how the final years of Kirk Cousins‘ Vikings career played out.
The team could have extended Cousins for multiple years ahead of the 2022 campaign but chose instead to give him just a one-year extension, which kept the QB under contract through last season. Minnesota then chose not to overspend in March, allowing the Atlanta Falcons to lure Cousins to the NFC South with a higher bid.
The Vikings didn’t make a play for any of the other top free agent quarterbacks or try to trade for a player like former Chicago Bears starter Justin Fields. Instead, they signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract.
Minnesota must consider the future of All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson moving forward, and selling him on a new deal in Minneapolis will be contingent on the plan the franchise puts together under center. Darnold is not a long-term solution. However, Maye or McCarthy can be, which means the Vikings must do whatever necessary to secure one of those two players.