With the Vikings placing Danielle Hunter on IR and trading Yannick Ngakoue, and more trades coming, it’s clear they’re tanking for Trevor Lawrence.
While the Minnesota Vikings might be too proud to admit, the tanking mode is on. A trade of one star pass-rusher is one thing, but ending the season for another seals it.
Thursday morning, the Vikings announced they had traded the former Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick. Hours later, they doubled down on their implosion, stating that Danielle Hunter would be shut down and undergo season-ending surgery with hopes of repairing a herniated disc in his neck.
Depending on who else could be moved, Minnesota is fighting for the top spot in April’s draft for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. It’s clear after being clipped by the Falcons on Sunday that Kirk Cousins isn’t the answer and won’t be in the future. Unless Cousins himself has a “Minneapolis Miracle”, he best be ready to end his time with the franchise on a sour note.
College football isn’t over and Lawrence has cemented his status as the league’s top talent. The Tigers quarterback is the epitome of perfection after two and a half strong seasons in Dabo Swinney’s system. Not even through his final year and Lawrence already has thrown for 1,544 yards, 15 touchdowns and one interception. One look at his 34-1 career record just screams winner as well.
How can the Vikings land Trevor Lawrence?
Minnesota’s roster still will have too many quality names to keep them out of “#TankforTrevor” talk along with the New York Jets. Defensively, Anthony Harris, Harrison Smith and Eric Kendricks all have been staples to a unit that currently ranks fifth in total yards allowed. Of the three, Harris should be affordable playing under the team’s franchise tag and is versatile enough to play either position.
“Talkin’ bout call me” 🤣
We got to break the @YannickNgakoue trade news to @CalaisCampbell… pic.twitter.com/Hh06Sz43jP
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 22, 2020
The offense ranks third in yards per pass attempt and still a top-10 running team through six games despite missing Dalvin Cook last week. Before his injury, Cook led the NFL in rushing yards with 489 and averaged 4.2 yards per carry. It would be hard to find a trade partner as the former second-rounder signed a five-year $63 million extension this offseason.
And we all know how much general managers are dying to pay for overpriced players right?
The offense will still be productive even with Cousins thanks to two talented receivers. Trading away that talent though might only hurt Lawrence and his development if he winds up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. If Rick Spielman is seriously about blowing the surrender horn, every defender should be on the table for the taking.