Report: Teams Believe Vikings Could Move Up For a QB in 2024 Draft

The league is apparently keeping an eye on the Vikings as a team that could move up.

It's the question that will dominate Vikings discussion until the moment a decision is made: What is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah going to do at the quarterback position this offseason?

The conversation starts with Kirk Cousins, who is the league's top free agent QB after six years in Minnesota. He has said he'd like to return to the Vikings, and the team's leadership — Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell — has said they'd like to have him back, but it'll all come down to the details of his next contract. If the Vikings can't get on board with Cousins' demands in terms of price and structure, some other team assuredly will.

Then there's the draft, where the Vikings hold the 11th overall pick. They could use their first or second-round pick one of the second-tier quarterback prospects — that's Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, and J.J. McCarthy, the first two of which were watched closely by Minnesota at last week's Senior Bowl. But if there were ever a year for the Vikings to try to move up for one of the top-tier guys — Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels — this might be it. As of right now, the 2025 QB class doesn't seem to have the same upside as this one.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, teams are thinking about the Vikings as a candidate to move up for a quarterback in this year's draft. They may have to get all the way into the top three picks to secure one of the top QBs.

People around the league are keeping an eye on the Minnesota Vikings at No. 11, too. They did a lot of quarterback homework last offseason and could eventually target one high in the draft with free agent Kirk Cousins' future in Minnesota uncertain. But moving from No. 11 into the top three would cost GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a ton of draft capital.

The bottom line is that the Vikings are undoubtedly considering all of their options, which includes attempting to trade up. But it's not as simple as deciding whether or not to do it. They'd have to find a willing trade partner in either the Bears, Commanders, Patriots, all of whom have plenty of reason to stand pat and take quarterbacks for themselves. If one of those teams is willing to have discussions, the Vikings would have to be sure that they like the quarterback(s) enough to give up a boatload of current and future draft capital to make it happen.

First up is free agency in March; that's when we'll find out about Cousins. What happens then will set the stage for a fascinating draft in April.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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