In need of a long-term answer at quarterback, the Vikings have consistently been connected to a trade-up from the No. 11 spot to acquire one of the class’ top passers. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah recently confirmed there are multiple signal-callers the team is high on, but Minnesota could of course elect to remain in place if the asking price for a trade becomes too high. 
“It’s a very deep class,” Adofo-Mensah said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert). “But I do think you have to be ready for every scenario. If there’s elite players at premium positions on the board, I don’t think you’re supposed to reach or force or anything like that. It’s just not what I believe, all the while understanding that [quarterback] is the most important position in the sport. So, it’s calculating both those things at the same time.”
When the Vikings pulled off a deal with the Texans to add the 23rd selection in April’s draft, rumors intensified that an aggressive move up the board could be in play. To that point, a recent report stated the team’s ownership is eyeing a high-profile investment under center, something which could require a costly trade-up maneuver (and, of course, a willing trade partner). Moving into the top five of the order would give Minnesota access to at least one member of the top QB tier and thus a successor to Sam Darnold.
The latter signed a one-year, $10MM deal in free agency to serve as a stopgap option following Kirk Cousins‘ departure. As Seifert notes, Adofo-Mensah was willing to hold firm on his valuation of Cousins, deciding against a commitment of guaranteed money beyond the first year of another new deal with the 35-year-old. Maintaining a similar approach in negotiations with teams currently holding premium draft picks could drive the Vikings to wait until Day 2 this April (or the 2025 draft) to find a development quarterback.
“You’re in a blind auction in a sense,” Adofo-Mensah added. “And you don’t know when the next person is going to raise their hand and call a name. And so, you’ve really just got to be strategic about how you position yourself… That’s how we’ve got to look at the board in every place. And then we’ll come up with our valuations for every player in that way, and we’ll make our calls and we’ll go from there. And ultimately, if the league is willing to do something that we are not willing to do, we can’t let that necessarily dictate our actions.”
Indeed, teams like the Raiders and Broncos are known to be in the market for a similar trade aimed at landing a top QB prospect. If Vegas and/or Denver is prepared to pay a higher price than Minnesota, the latter team could use its existing resources to fill other roster spots. Still, the Vikings have the draft capital needed to win a potential bidding war, and they will therefore remain a team to watch closely as the draft draws nearer.
Best bet is chargers at 5
Vikings get 5
Chargers get 11 and 23
At 11 if Verse is still there I’d offer 11 to the Eagles for 22 one of their 2nds
At 22 I’d take RT, 23 I’d take C, and with 2 2nds double up on WRs
Chargers goal should be to walk away with as many starters as they can between rounds 1 and 2 on offense instead of wasting years on Herbert’s deal same way they did Rivers.
If I were another GM, I’d ask for both 1st’s and JJ. No reason to help out a rival team for a top 5-7 pick. If he doesn’t bite fine, he can draft twice int eh 1st round this year.
This man is about to make a disastrous trade for JJ MacJones McCarthy
The way he’s talking it sounds like they are just going to fly by the seat of their pants and hope for the best. Had the Vikings taken a page from the Packers and had an heir mentoring under Cousins these past couple of seasons they wouldn’t be in a jam like this.
Crazy to think the Vikings coulda offered a 2nd or 3rd for Justin Fields, and is about to trade 3 1s for JJ McCarthy.
They are NOT going to trade 3 1st Rd picks for McCarthy. Teams above the Vikings in the draft have been holding out to get as much as they could, but now realize that the Vikings could stand pat at 11 and Penix Jr. will be available. So now, teams have to start sweetening the pot back at the Vikings to move up. Granted, not all that much, but now the Vikings should not be completely fleeced while moving up, only slightly fleeced. Secondly, the Vikings did not want Fields, as he would not have fit the KOC style of offense. Lastly, McCarthy will end up being a helluva a lot better QB in the NFL than Fields. Yes, the bar is set pretty low, but it’s still a bad that McCarthy will surpass.