The Minnesota Vikings were very hopeful things would work out with veteran Kyler Murray this season. But from the start, signing Murray was a gamble.
Halfway through the 2026 campaign, it’s not a dice roll that’s paying off.
The Vikings could start Carson Wentz in favor of a banged up Murray in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills. But the Vikings should be willing take a take another quarterback gamble and acquire a new signal-caller the following day at the NFL trade deadline.
If they are, why not consider former first-round pick Justin Fields?
Heavy Sports proposes the Vikings offer a fifth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Fields.
Fields hasn’t attempted a pass as Patrick Mahomes’s backup for the Chiefs this season. Last year, he went 2-7 as a starter but with 1,259 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and one interception.
Why Vikings Trading for QB Justin Fields Could Make Sense
NFL insider Mike Florio presented a scenario Tuesday where the Vikings move on from Murray midseason without officially benching him. Florio called it a “soft benching.”
“It’s hard not to look at the current status of Murray’s hamstring ‘tightness’ as cover for a soft benching of Murray,” Florio wrote. “That gives the Vikings a chance to let Carson Wentz, who played well enough in most of the Week 1 win over the Packers and all of the Week 2 win over the Bears.”
The hamstring issue could lead to Wentz starting in Week 9. But if the Vikings are choosing between Wentz or acquiring a quarterback for the stretch run, they probably should choose the latter. While Wentz is a reliable veteran backup, his upside is significantly limited.
Fields has tremendous upside but is a quarterback that has failed to put all his terrific traits together. He’s not, all of the sudden, going to put it together upon arriving in Minnesota. But Fields might be able to jolt the Vikings offense awake with his dual-threat capabilities.
Fields has averaged 5.9 yards per rush in his NFL career. He’s also scored 23 touchdowns in 53 career games.
Fields is 16-37 as a career starter. He has posted a winning record in only one season during his career. That was when he went 4-2 with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
Like that Steelers team, the Vikings have been winning ugly this year. Fields might be able to find success in that kind of situation again. Fields didn’t eventually lose his job that season, but he played better in those six games than Murray has for Minnesota this year.
Would the Chiefs Be Willing to Trade Fields?
To be clear, the Vikings acquiring Fields isn’t super likely. That’s the case, in part, because it would be surprising if the Chiefs are willing to part with him.
Super Bowl contenders don’t trade backup quarterbacks, especially ones who suffered season-ending injuries a year ago.
But Mahomes has been completely healthy this season. Kansas City also has rookie Garrett Nussmeier as a potential new QB2 already on the roster.
Finally, Fields is also going to be a free agent next spring.
If the Chiefs feel comfortable moving forward with Nussmeier as their primary backup, they could recoup a mid-Day 3 draft pick for Fields in a trade. It only cost them a sixth-rounder to acquire Fields. So, sending him to the Vikings for a fifth-rounder would be a great investment.
In 60 games, Fields has 52 passing touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He’s averaged 6.8 yards per attempt with a 61.4% completion percentage. Fields has also rushed for 2,892 yards.
NFL Trade Pitch Sees Vikings Make Unlikely QB Switch Amid Kyler Murray Struggles