The Minnesota Vikings made a living in 2022 by winning close games. Unfortunately in 2023, the tables have turned and Minnesota has found itself on the wrong side of three close losses.
Now Kevin O'Connell's team is in a 1-3 hole and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is facing some major personnel decisions before the NFL trade deadline arrives.
The trade deadline is at 4:00 p.m. ET on Oct. 31. The Vikings will face the Chiefs, Bears, 49ers and Packers before then. The likelihood of going better than 1-3 in those games is looking pretty slim.
That's not to say Minnesota couldn't pull off some upsets, but they are currently underdogs against all but Chicago.
So let's say the Vikings are a terrifying 2-6 on Halloween. Who won't be around come November?
The Vikings can get something back for KJ Osborn before he leaves
Let's get it out of the way quickly: There doesn't appear to be any chance the Vikings will trade Kirk Cousins, the No. 1 person they should be looking to trade at the deadline under these circumstances. Part of the problem is teams that would have incentive to pick up Cousins — like the Jets — don't have the necessary draft capital to make a trade worth it.
So instead, Minnesota can look to trade someone like KJ Osborn.
There will be plenty of teams out there looking to bolster their receiving corps. The 26-year-old fits the bill as someone who has been consistently productive with 600+ yards receiving in each of the last two seasons.
Osborn is in the final year of his rookie contract and the Vikings aren't likely to bring him back in 2024 on a new deal. Trading him now would land them some draft capital and open the door for rookies on the practice squad like Lucky Jackson and Thayer Thomas to get a look.
The Vikings should cash in on Danielle Hunter now
Danielle Hunter's contract dispute was one of the stories of the offseason as the former Pro Bowler held out for a new lucrative contract. In the end, the Vikings worked out a one-year deal with the pass rusher, paying him $20 million to play in Minnesota this year but essentially making his return in 2024 more unlikely.
Under the terms of the one-year deal, Minnesota can't franchise tag Hunter. So he's going to hit the open market looking for a payday. And he's probably going to get it with five sacks and eight tackles for loss in four games so far this season. The market for Hunter will be fierce and the Vikings haven't given the indication they're going to be willing to outbid the rest of the NFL.
The trade value for Hunter is high, especially for playoff hopefuls looking to bolster their pass rush. If Hunter is going to walk away at the end of the 2023 season, the Vikings need to cash in now, especially if they can manage to get a Day 2 pick for the linebacker.
Nothing would indicate that the Vikings are shutting up shop in 2023 more than trading Hunter, so it wouldn't be done lightly. But if the team is 2-6, a trade simply has to happen. There's no way around it.
The Vikings can clear up serious cap space by trading Harrison Smith
Harrison Smith took a pay cut to stay with the Vikings in 2023 but he's owed quite a bit of cash next year and restructuring his deal again doesn't seem particularly viable.
At 34 years old, Smith is entering the twilight of his career and Minnesota will have to seriously consider cutting him ahead of the 2024 season to clear up cap space. So putting him on the trade block simply makes too much sense.
The fact that he's coming off one of the best games of his career may make it bittersweet for Vikings fans, but this is actually the perfect time to ship him out. His value is bolstered by his performance against the Panthers with 14 tackles, three sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Harrison can still play. It's just in the interest of the team to move on while they have the chance to get something back for him.
If Harrison recreates that performance and leads the Vikings to a few more wins than expected over the next month, then he'll have played his way into staying in Minnesota. But the more likely outcome is a trade opportunity materializing while the Vikings get a head start on preparing the roster for 2024.
