Vikings Trade Pitch Nets Top-4 Pick for Just 2 First-Rounders, Not 3

Getty General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

The Minnesota Vikings will have to pay a premium to jump into the top five for a franchise quarterback, but there’s a chance they could limit the cost to two first-round picks and change.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus (PFF) appeared on the Thursday, April 11 edition of the “Rich Eisen Show,” during which he detailed a potential deal between the Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals for the 4th overall pick that doesn’t include a third first-rounder in the offer on Minnesota’s side.

Hopped on with @richeisen (@RichEisenShow) this afternoon to discuss the two teams I believe are the front runners for a trade up into the Top 5 for a QB: Vikings and Giants

A little more into why:

I think it’s most plausible to say that three quarterbacks are gonna go to start this draft. So I think that [J.J.] McCarthy probably is gonna be on the board at No. 4, [and] Arizona is not gonna be taking him.

I look at two teams in particular that have the opportunity to actually give Arizona a deal that they would take. The first one is the obvious one, and it’s the Minnesota Vikings at [pick No.] 11. Now, if the Cardinals are comfortable moving all the way back from [pick Nos.] 4 to 11, they can probably get No. 11 from Minnesota, the No. 23 pick in the first round they got from the Houston Texans and a little bit more than that because you’re paying the tax of that team moving all the way outside of the top 10 for a quarterback.

So, even if that’s the case, Arizona could then say, ‘We’ll get No. 11, we could use that [extra] draft capital, maybe trade back up” to still get one of those wide receivers that they need.

Most Trade Proposals Predict Vikings Must Deal 3 First-Rounders to Move Into Top 5

GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy (left) and head coach Jim Harbaugh (right), both formerly of the University of Michigan.

If Sikkema is correct and Minnesota can get in the game for the No. 4 pick for the price of two first-rounders in 2024 and another asset or two of considerably lesser value, the outcome would read like a steal for the Vikings.

Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston reported via his “Tom Curran Patriots Talk Podcast” on April 5 that the New England Patriots want three first-rounders, and then some, to move off the No. 3 spot — just one ahead of the Cardinals at No. 4.

“From what I’m hearing, it’s going to take a lot more than [three firsts] for the Patriots to be moved off their spot, because they as a team collectively understand the opportunity that these three quarterbacks represent at the top of the draft,” Curran said.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Field Yates predicted in early April that a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers to move up to No. 5 overall will cost the Vikings three first-round selections.

“Three quarterbacks are already off the board, and Minnesota has a big hole there after Kirk Cousins signed elsewhere in March,” Yates wrote on April 3. “So I have the Vikings sending Nos. 11 and 23 this year and an additional 2025 first-rounder to the Chargers to move up to No. 5 for the class’ QB4.”

New York Giants Could Create Hitch in Vikings’ Plans to Draft QB

GettyNew York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

What might get in the way of the Vikings’ plans to jump up for a QB is an aggressive play by the New York Giants, who currently hold the No. 6 pick, assuming they are interested in drafting a quarterback themselves.

The Giants could make an offer to the likes of the Cardinals that might be more attractive than anything Minnesota can conjure, simply because moving back two spots would allow Arizona the chance to still draft a top-three wide receiver in this class.

While the Patriots or Chargers would undoubtedly prize the 6th pick in a potential trade back, it would presumably be less crucial to their draft plans, which might allow the Vikings to come in with extra assets and outbid the Giants. The necessity of a deal with the Cardinals specifically, though, coupled with interest from New York could be a losing combination for the Vikings when it comes to landing a top-four QB later this month.