Minnesota Vikings: Former NFL GM Encourages Team to Trade for 9x Pro Bowl Quarterback
The Minnesota Vikings have found themselves in a precarious situation when it comes to the quarterback position. After losing four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, the Vikings signed veteran Sam Darnold. Additionally, they selected Michigan’s JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, McCarthy tore his meniscus in training camp and will be out for the year. This development has prompted the team to sign Matt Corral as their backup behind Darnold.
The problem, though, is that neither quarterback inspire much confidence. Once a third-overall pick by the New York Jets, Darnold has a career completion percentage of 59.7% and has thrown just 63 touchdowns compared to 57 interceptions.
Corral has not even appeared in an NFL game yet despite being a third-round pick in 2022.
Former NFL General Manager Believes the Minnesota Vikings Should Trade for Super Bowl-Winning Quarterback Russell Wilson
With the quarterback situation being less than ideal in Minnesota, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum suggested on ESPN’s “Get Up” that the Vikings acquire Russell Wilson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He said (via Heavy), “Unfortunately for Minnesota, history is repeating itself. We go back to 2016, very unfortunate injury. Teddy Bridgewater had a catastrophic injury at practice. Sam Bradford gets traded from the Eagles to the Vikings. So to me, I think a win-win here is to trade Russell Wilson to Minnesota.
“I think he’s a better quarterback than Sam Darnold. They certainly could battle it out.”
Wilson, of course, is battling with former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields for the starting job in Pittsburgh. He further suggests that the Steelers then sign former Pro Bowl quarterback Ryan Tannehill to replace Wilson.
He cites Tannehill’s prior work with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as his reasoning.
Should the Minnesota Vikings Trade for Russell Wilson?
Tannenbaum believes that Wilson is a better quarterback than Darnold, and he may be right. That being said, the former Seattle Seahawks legend has a great deal to prove in his age 36 season after two lackluster years in Denver.
Last season, Wilson completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions with a passer rating of 98.0 while working within a Denver Broncos system that was hostile towards him.
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Perhaps linking up with an offensive-minded head coach like Kevin O’Connell would help Wilson recapture some of what made him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for so long.
That being said, if the Steelers wanted Tannehill instead of Wilson, they would have signed him in free agency. While this trade scenario does make some sense for the Vikings, it does not really make sense on the Steelers’ end.
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