Trade Proposal Lands Vikings $13 Million Deep Threat

Courtesy of Vikings The Vikings "came very close" to trading running back Dalvin Cook to the Miami Dolphins in March, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported.

After releasing fan favorite Adam Thielen last month, the Minnesota Vikings are in the market for a new No. 2 wide receiver to run opposite of Justin Jefferson and could capitalize on a recent siege in the AFC.

The Denver Broncos are reported to be actively shopping their entire wide receivers room with Sean Payton taking the helm of the franchise and needing to recover draft capital after the Russell Wilson trade.

Less than a month from the draft, Bleacher Report considers fourth-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy among the five players most likely to be traded during the draft, which starts April 27.

The Vikings shopped for a deep-threat, speed weapon when free agency opened, entering casual contract talks with former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported on March 21. Hardman took a contract with the New York Jets, which left Minnesota back to their cursory search.

The Broncos have entertained trade talks for Jeudy with both the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns, according to local sources, but have maintained that they’re not trading the former No. 15 overall pick. Both Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and David Moore of The Dallas Morning News reports tell otherwise, stating the Broncos want a first-round pick for Jeudy, which neither Dallas nor Cleveland was willing to pay.

Pro Football Focus has also named the Viking a top landing spot for Jeudy, considering his developed route tree and deep-threat ability that would force defenses to pick their poison.

There is a deadline with Jeudy approaching the cutoff for his fifth-year option to be exercised by May 1. Jeudy’s cap hit of $2.68 million in 2023 would be light on the books for this season before a potential $12.98 million cap hit for his fifth-year option, per Spotrac.

Vikings Could Land Jerry Jeudy Without Giving Up 1st-Rounder

When Denver was 3-5 ahead of the trade deadline on November 1, Sportsnaut’s Benjamin Allbright reported multiple sources believed that a second- and fourth-round selection would have been enough to pry Jeudy away.

But Jeudy’s performance in the final half of the season upped his price in trade talks entering this offseason. Jeudy averaged 87.2 receiving yards per game in his final six appearances, including a three-touchdown outing in Week 14 and a 154-yard performance in the season finale.

While the Broncos ideally have asked for a first-round pick, Minnesota doesn’t have the draft capital to splurge — even if it’s on a proven receiver like Jeudy.

However, they do have another asset that may interest Denver — Dalvin Cook.

The Broncos are in an urgent win-now mode after mortgaging the future for Wilson. General manager George Paton’s hire of Nathaniel Hacket lasted just 15 games before he changed course and eventually landed Sean Payton.

Minnesota is in a sore spot with Cook who is unwilling to take a pay cut and could be on the move before the start of the offseason program. Given the shelf life of running backs, Cook wouldn’t garner much in draft capital for only a few more years left of his prime.

But a swap of Jeudy for Cook would benefit Denver immediately and the Vikings long-term. A mid- to late-round pick could also be a sweetener to fully convince Denver.

Vikings 2023 NFL Draft Visit Tracker

The Vikings are doing their homework on a number of draft prospects ahead of April 27, including hosting three wide receivers for visits so far.

First-round prospects Quentin Johnson (TCU), Jordan Addison (USC) and Zay Flowers (Boston College) have all met with the Vikings along with Bryce Ford-Wheaton (West Virginia).

Here’s a comprehensive list of all Vikings draft visits by WalterFootball.com. (a key is provided below).

• Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, USC (PRI)
• Anthony Bradford, Offensive Tackle, LSU (PRI)
• Brian Branch, Safety, Alabama (PRI)
• Julius Brents, Cornerback, Kansas State (COM)
• Karl Brooks, Defensive Tackle, Bowling Green (PRI)
• Gervon Dexter, Defensive Tackle, Florida (COM)
• Zay Flowers, Wide Receiver, Boston College (COM)
• Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Wide Receiver, West Virginia (COM)
• Isaiah Foskey, Defensive End, Notre Dame (COM)
• Jordan Howden^, Safety, Minnesota (LOC, PRI)
• Nash Jensen, Offensive Guard, North Dakota State (PRI)
• Quentin Johnston, Wide Receiver, TCU (PRI)
• Will Levis, Quarterback, Kentucky (COM)
• Marte Mapu, Safety, Sacramento State (PRI)
• DeWayne McBride, Running Back, UAB (PRI)
• Trey Palmer, Wide Receiver, Nebraska (PRI)
• Joey Porter Jr., Cornerback, Penn State (COM)
• Anthony Richardson, Quarterback, Florida (COM)
• Eli Ricks, Cornerback, Alabama (COM)
• Kelee Ringo, Cornerback, Georgia (COM)
• John Michael Schmitz^, Center, Minnesota (COM, LOC)
• Cam Smith, Cornerback, South Carolina (COM)
• Terell Smith, Cornerback, Minnesota (LOC)
• Tyjae Spears, Running Back, Tulane (COM)
• Starling Thomas^, Cornerback, UAB (PRO, PRI)
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Quarterback, UCLA (COM)
• Darnell Washington, Tight End, Georgia (COM)

COM – Combine meeting.
LOC – Local visit. Prospect making a local visit.
PRI – Private visit. Prospect making an official 30 visit.
^ – has met with team at more than one event.