When Sauce Gardner was traded to the Colts, it sent the biggest shockwave through the NFL and Minnesota fan circles. Most feel the team could use one more cornerback to match with Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers to take the defense to the next level. I saw a lot of fans tweeting out, “Why not us?!” Most of that got a bit tempered when his contract numbers were released.
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Oct 9, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports.
” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/USATSI_19205756.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=787,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/USATSI_19205756.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/USATSI_19205756.jpg” alt=”Vikings Opponents Have Shifted Massively in Recent Weeks”>Oct 9, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports.
The other wave was the one that didn’t happen: Breece Hall not being traded at all. Many fans thought he would be the perfect piece to add to the backfield and make the offense fully dimensional. Reports indicated the Jets were not moving off a 3rd-round pick for compensation, and the team most associated with Hall was the Chiefs.
The Vikings were never mentioned as being in discussions with the Jets. Either they never were, or they immediately balked at the hard stance and passed it up. Unless more rumors slip out this week—and I’m sure some will — it sounds like the Vikings weren’t hot on anyone’s trail.
Two Thoughts On Why the Vikings Didn’t Trade
With the win over Detroit on Sunday, the Vikings got back to .500. Look at the activity in the last week by the Eagles and today by the Colts. They’re looking to win now and compete against the better teams in their divisions and conference as they make a push to the playoffs.
The Jets, with only one win so far this season, are sellers, and they’re looking at all those first and second-round draft picks they’ve acquired to build a new team and secure a franchise quarterback. The Vikings could have swung either way to help with the immediate future or the present.
Not only was it a win in Detroit, but it was a signature win that usually puts a team in “buying” mode, meaning they look to add pieces to push them over the top. I’m sure the staff wasn’t out playing golf today, and they made and received calls. My guess is that they weren’t sellers unless someone came at them with an offer they couldn’t refuse.
More than that, they don’t need to trade away players because they don’t have depth at the positions I mentioned. Getting rid of Addison or Hockenson hurts them now, and it takes weapons away from J.J. McCarthy, who they’re trying their best to support.
The fact that they didn’t go out and get other pieces may mean the prices for the ones they wanted were too steep. The Vikings not trading for Hall is more than just giving up a 3rd round pick. I’ve already seen fans and bloggers questioning why the Vikings didn’t pull the trigger.
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Is he better than Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason? Probably, but it’s a high-risk move if it doesn’t work out for a position you’re also not starving at. There’s a bigger issue at the cornerback position, where the starters are already questionable.
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Tariq Woolen from the Seahawks has been a name floated around since the offseason, and they didn’t go after him either. He’s in a similar situation contract-wise, so again, it could be a one-year rental and then what? We don’t re-sign him next year, and we’re out another pick, even if it’s a lower one.
Players and agents may not want to go to a team that can’t throw money at them right away, either, and that can shut down a transaction just as fast. No, players don’t want to keep jumping from team to team if they can get paid and settle down in a place where they have a chance to win. Money may be the motivating factor, but stability is what cements it.
Looking Towards The Future
Another school of thought is that you can’t build a team solely through free agency. Teams have to draft well and have the currency to do so.
$36 million over the cap next year could mean they lose players and have to restructure some contracts to keep key pieces. While always a crapshoot, a 3rd round pick could be a key player for years that you can keep on board for a reasonable price. If McCarthy blossoms into an elite quarterback, those are the kind of players and prices the team will need to have to place a good roster around him when his contract blooms as well.
I try to remember it’s never “just a (insert round) rounder” to get a trade accomplished in the NFL. If you don’t look beyond that, you’re right back where you started, or you have a whole new problem to deal with.
I’m a small-town boy with12 years in telecommunications and 13 years in radio but a lifetime as a Vikings … More about Tony Schultz
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$36 million over the cap next year could mean they lose players and have to restructure some contracts to keep key pieces. While always a crapshoot, a 3rd round pick could be a key player for years that you can keep on board for a reasonable price. If McCarthy blossoms into an elite quarterback, those are the kind of players and prices the team will need to have to place a good roster around him when his contract blooms as well.
