The Minnesota Vikings might end up with Jonathan Taylor, but if they don’t, the franchise can still add a capable running back without spending any draft assets in a trade.
Former Eagles rusher Dameon Pierce is now a free agent after Philadelphia released him on Saturday, November 7. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson noted that several teams already have interest in Pierce.
Released from #Eagles with an injury settlement, veteran free agent running back Dameon Pierce is recovering quickly from a relatively minor hamstring injury and is rehabbing in Houston.
The former #Texans starter and Pro Bowl alternate has already drawn interest from multiple #NFL teams, per agent Elton Patterson, including being contacted already by #Dolphins #Jaguars #Panthers #Ravens #Cardinals #Titans and #49ers
Pierce rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries and caught seven passes for 14 yards on 11 targets in three games for Eagles this season. He’s expected to be ready in two to three weeks. He has rushed for 1,780 career yards and 10 touchdowns with 52 receptions for 282 yards and one score.
Jonathan Taylor Might Price Vikings Out
That Wilson did not mention Minnesota as an interested party doesn’t mean the Vikings won’t be before Pierce signs elsewhere.
“The Vikings and Giants remain, according to my sources, the favorites to land Taylor,” Jonathan Jones of The Athletic wrote Saturday. The Seahawks, Packers and Broncos are also in the mix, though I haven’t gotten the impression that the latter two would be willing to buy high on Taylor.
Based on a trade pitch authored by ESPN’s Judy Battista on Saturday, whoever lands the Indianapolis Colts running back is going to have pay a staggering price. Her suggestion was a second-round pick, third-round pick and two fifth-round picks in 2027.
“The Vikings have arguably the best defense in the league, but they’ll need to score points for a deep playoff run,” Battista wrote. “The Colts, engaged in a fire sale and potentially hoping to get a first-rounder for Taylor, get plenty of draft picks to help kickstart what looks like a total rebuild.”
Vikings Interested in Daniel Jones, Could Package First-Round Pick for QB and Jonathan Taylor
But Minnesota may need more than just a good running back to get the offense up to form. In fact, the team has shown interest in a deal for quarterback Daniel Jones, also of Indianapolis and also available ahead of the deadline.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested a radical idea that involves the Vikings flipping a first-round pick in 2027, plus a little bit more, for both Taylor and Jones ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
“A package deal could allow the Colts to get the first-round pick they won’t get by trading Taylor alone,” Florio wrote. “And perhaps the Colts could get another pick or two, perhaps contingent on the playing time and/or performance of either or both players.”
Indianapolis traded away their 2027 first-rounder to the New York Jets in the Sauce Gardner deal last year. And while the Colts have picked up one third, one fourth and one fifth by flipping offensive guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, each in the final year of his contract, the team has little to no path to a first-round selection.
Some rumors indicate the Colts are holding out for a first-round pick in return for Taylor, though Florio posited that such a return is next to impossible without including Jones. And the Vikings are the only team with enough interest in both players to make such a deal work.
Vikings Can Pivot From Jonathan Taylor to 1,700-Yard RB, Focus Trade Efforts on QB