ESPN suggests two potential trades for the Vikings.

Before the deadline, ESPN suggests two potential trades for the Vikings.

Are the Vikings planning a second straight intra-division trade before the deadline?

The knives are out for the 2023 Vikings after a 1-4 start and Justin Jefferson being sidelined for the foreseeable future due to injury.
The Vikings have been the subject of numerous trade rumors and proposals over the past week, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has added two more.

The Vikings would send a game-changing edge rusher to Detroit in this scenario, the first of two trade scenarios from Barnwell, just a year after receiving a game-changing tight end from Detroit.

In Barnwell’s trade, the Vikings would give the Lions edge rusher James Houston, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Danielle Hunter and a 2024 fourth-round pick.

Despite being in the final year of his contract, Hunter is second in the league in sacks with 6 points through five games.
After injuries limited him to just seven games in 2020 and 2021, the pass rusher, 29, has shown he still has a few productive years left in him by amassing 77 sacks over the course of his career.
Hunter is a straightforward trade target for the Vikings due to the lack of a long-term contract.

From the Vikings’ perspective, pairing Hunter with Aiden Hutchinson in the long run doesn’t seem ideal, but getting Houston back in exchange would seem to mitigate some of that impact.
After being selected by Detroit in the sixth round, Houston totaled eight sacks in his rookie season.
After missing the first two games of the season due to a fractured right ankle, the 24-year-old’s second campaign hasn’t gone well.

Hunter is still one of the most sought-after players on the trade market 18 days before the trade deadline despite being in the prime of his career.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly interested in the Vikings pass rusher, according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, who spoke with Skor North recently.

In the second proposed deal by Barnwell, Jordan Hicks would be traded to the Bills in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2024.

Hicks is one of the few seasoned players on a young Vikings defense that has occasionally displayed its inexperience this year.
In the meantime, the Bills are searching for an experienced veteran to play in the middle of their defense after losing linebacker Matt Milano to a season-ending injury.

Barnwell notes that Hicks, 31, has “bounced around the league while starting for the Eagles, Cardinals, and Vikings, giving him experience in a range of systems.”.
While he cannot compete with Milano in coverage, the Bills will need him to be a reliable tackler and effective run defender as the season draws to a close.
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The Vikings could evaluate the potential of a middle-linebacker combination consisting of rookie-UDFA Ivan Pace Jr. if they release Hicks. and Brian Asamoah II, a third-round pick in 2022, would appear.