The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 and in their bye week, but could general manager Nolan Teasley make a major splash at the trade deadline to put this team over the hump and make it a true contender?
Minnesota’s defense is one of, if not the best in the league. However, on offense, there are a lot of question marks, even though the offensive group did look better in their Week 5 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Nonetheless, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio floated that if the Eagles go into selling mode with some of their veterans, the Vikings would make sense for Saquon Barkley.
“Think about the Vikings if they could get Saquon Barkley,” Florio said in an Oct. 17 video on the NFL on NBC YouTube channel. “Think about how that would be a B12 shot to the offense if the running game was powered by Saquon Barkley, with Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones there to complement him.
“A team that’s so built on defense and a passing game coming around, and one of the reasons the passing game’s coming around is because the running game has been so good. Jones had 25 carries for 118 yards last week.”
Why Eagles Might Not Trade Saquon Barkley Around Deadline
Nonetheless, Florio does mention that any trade involving Barkley would need the Eagles to think about the financial ramifications that could keep them trading away the veteran running back leading up to the deadline on Nov. 10.
“My math could be wrong, but my calculation is, if they trade him now, because June 1 has already passed for 2026, if they trade him now, they don’t take an acceleration this year, but it’s going to be a $26 million dead cap charge next year on top of the A.J. Brown dead cap charge and whatever other dead money they’re going to have.
“All the more reason to make sure Lane Johnson’s retirement isn’t processed until after June 1 of 2027. There will be some dead money allocated to him, but not all of it… It’s Week 6 [but] we get to Week 9 [and] if they keep losing and they’ve already decided to flip Cam Jurgens‘ contract for a second-round pick next year, could they trade Saquon Barkley? One big factor they need to consider is $26 million in dead money next year.”
Analyst Has Doubts About Vikings QB Kyler Murray
Speaking of the Vikings offense, Kyle Brandt of ESPN is one of the analysts who isn’t buying the Vikings as contenders due to their reliance on Kyler Murray as their starting QB.
“I don’t know if he has that gear in him and you’re going to get to the playoffs, and good for you, you went 12-5, whatever they’re going to go,” Brandt said on the Oct. 14 edition of “First Take.”
“San Francisco’s there. Dogs are there. Veterans are there. I don’t know if Kyler Murray is that guy in a January playoff game who’s like, ‘I got us. We’re down four with two minutes left. I got this.’ I just don’t think he’s that guy, and I can’t trust the team when he’s not.”
Vikings Handed Blunt Insider Take Involving Eagles’ Saquon Barkley