BREAKING: Vikings Trade Pitch Swaps 3 First-Rounders to Bears for Top Pick in 2024

The Chicago Bears will undoubtedly receive multiple offers for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Minnesota Vikings may be one of the more attractive teams.

Bleacher Report’s Brad Gannon took a look at the package the Bears could offer on Wednesday, Jan. 31, in exchange for the No. 1 pick. The Vikings’ scenario involves sending six draft picks from Minnesota to Chicago over the next three years, including three first-round picks (2024, 2025, 2026), two second-round picks (2024, 2025) and one third-round pick (2025). ). .

According to [Pro Football Reference’s Pick Value Chart], jumping from No. 11 to the top of the draft is worth a top-five pick. The Minnesota Vikings will have to give up their next two first-round picks and a Day 2 cap, if not in 2026, because they don’t have any left.

The Vikings don’t have a third-round pick this year. It’s safe to say there won’t be any additional draft picks in the first two days of this draft or the following days if they want to move up to replace Kirk Cousins​​​​​​​in April. Since they are division rivals of the Bears, they could be much more expensive. The Vikings need a young QB who is willing to part with a major to provide capital.

Initial reaction: It appears that Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will not accept the deal offered by Gannon. The team has key bench and defensive line positions to consider, and giving up the first two days of the next two drafts to an NFC North division rival is the kind of move that gets you fired. It rarely works perfectly. That said, there are major problems with the Vikings supporting this proposal. First, the team could draft one of the best QB classes in recent memory with multiple franchise players. Quarterback is the most important position in the game, and Minnesota already has T.J. Hockenson used a 2023 first-round pick on wide receiver Jordan Addison in a record deal. Don’t forget Justin Jefferson, the best passer in the NFL. He is expected to sign a record contract extension with the Vikings in the coming months. Meanwhile, Paul Gossling of the Star Tribune reported on Jan. 23 that the Vikings “wouldn’t consider” giving up more No. 1 picks in the future if it meant selecting the QB of their choice.

“If they get one, it’s going to be someone I either love or hate.” Goessling told KFAN’s Paul Allen. “I don’t think they’d mind if they had to give up a couple of first-round picks over the next couple of years.”

The Vikings could recoup some of the value of the traded picks by moving Kirk Cousins ​​to QB in the Rookie Deal.

Minnesota needs an elite QB, and the franchise could get a rookie contract whose timing matches the best playmaker on offense.

According to Charlie Walters of the Pioneer Press, Cousins ​​wants $90 million guaranteed over two years. The Vikings could spend half that amount on a player half Cousins’ age and keep that player on his first NFL contract for twice as long.

The money the Vikings would save by selecting an elite rookie QB over Cousins ​​would be enough to offset some of the additional capital they would have to sacrifice to get the No. 1 seed in of Chicago in free agency. Minnesota could also, at least hypothetically, pull off this deal for minimal cost between Cousins ​​(36 years old after tearing his Achilles tendon) and a player like Caleb Williams or Drake May.

Minnesota can then focus most of its remaining draft picks on finding cheap talent in the later rounds to shore up its defense. It’s something the team has done well recently. For example, consider the signing of free agent quarterback Ivan Pace Jr., who was a starter in his rookie campaign and will likely be a starter for several seasons to come.

Of course, this is not a good strategy for defense because it requires luck and has a high chance of failure. However, coordinator Brian Flores will return to lead the department for the second year in a row. He provides upside for the Vikings in 2023, and further improvement is possible even if the franchise doesn’t spend a lot of money to fill out the defense this offseason.