Buzz: Vikings could target trades for players who can help beyond 2024

The Vikings could do what they did in adding T.J. Hockenson two years ago.

Dec 10, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell (left) and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah react during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If the Vikings are going to make a big move before the NFL's Nov. 5 trade deadline, it might be for a player who can help them both this year and beyond, The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling wrote recently.

In 2022, the Vikings made a deadline splash when they acquired T.J. Hockenson from the Lions, which was a move that was about much more than that specific season. They needed immediate help at tight end after losing Irv Smith Jr. to injury, yes, but they also viewed Hockenson — who was in the fourth year of his rookie contract — as someone who could become part of their core moving forward. They were right, as they signed him to a four-year extension the following summer.

Goessling's plugged-in speculation is that the Vikings might do the same thing this year if they make an aggressive move. Why? Because even at 5-2, the team's main window for contention probably begins next year when quarterback J.J. McCarthy is healthy. Prior to the Vikings' 5-0 start, this looked like a transition season for a team that has major cap space in 2025. There's no reason to expect them to suddenly punt on this season and sell, but two losses in five days and a season-ending injury to Christian Darrisaw may have slightly shifted the broader focus back to the future.

That's not to say the Vikings won't consider acquiring a rental player (impending free agent) via trade, perhaps as a stopgap for Darrisaw at left tackle, but it does seem like GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's ideal move would be to land someone who can help now and for years to come.

Goessling even threw out a name in his story: Browns CB Greg Newsome II, who fits the Hockenson mold as a former first-round pick in the fourth year of his rookie deal. Newsome is 24 years old, a quality starting corner, and has a history with Adofo-Mensah, who was in Cleveland's front office before taking the job in Minnesota. All three of the Vikings' current starting corners are pending free agents, which leaves the injured Mekhi Blackmon as their only penciled-in option for next year at the moment.

"If the Vikings make a big move at the trade deadline, they could be inclined to focus on players who gave them what Hockenson did in 2022: immediate help with long-term flexibility," Goessling wrote. "For example: Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II is just 24, with a fifth-year option for 2025. He wouldn’t come cheap, but a young corner who’d fit the Vikings’ scheme might be worth dealing the 2025 first-round pick, especially if the choice could be late in the first round."

The Vikings have one game left, against the Colts next Sunday, before the deadline. Areas they could target include left tackle, defensive tackle, and cornerback, among others. It's worth noting that they have just three picks next year (their first-rounder and two fifths), though they're expected to add a conditional third-rounder and could always move 2026 picks as well.

It'll be very interesting to see what Adofo-Mensah decides to do.