The Minnesota Vikings have high hopes of chasing down the Detroit Lions in the NFC North and becoming a team that can challenge the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for dominance in the NFC. However, with the start of the season in the countdown phase for their Week 1 game at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell will have to make adjustments.
The strength of the Vikings on paper is the talent at the WR position. Justin Jefferson may be the best at his position in the league and is no worse than third behind Ja'Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb. Jordan Addison is a speed burner with great skills and is one of the best No. 2 receivers in the league.
However, Jefferson has missed the large majority of training camp with a left hamstring strain and he may not be ready for a peak performance in Week 1. Addison is suspended for the first three games of the season as a result of his guilty plea to a charge of “Wet Reckless” driving after a 2024 DUI arrest.
If that wasn't concerning enough, No. 3 receiver Jalen Nailor is competing with a hand bruise and is not likely to be at 100 percent. Considering that the season opener marks the first game of quarterback J.J. McCarthy's career, the Vikings may have to make an adjustment at the WR position.
Home run move could be a great one for the Vikings
It is very late in training camp and Washington Commanders pass catcher Terry McLaurin is still holding out. He is an elite receiver and while there are no guarantees that his current employer will trade him, Adofo-Mensah should make the Commanders a significant offer.
Perhaps that offer would mean that Addison leaves the Vikings and McLaurin comes to the Vikings. McLaurin is unhappy with his salary because he is not paid like an elite, game-changing receiver. The Commanders may not have the room to go much higher in a salary offer.
The Vikings have more than $30 million available in cap space. That could be enough to entice McLaurin to sign a long-term contract if the Vikings were to acquire him in a trade.
The idea of a Jefferson-McLaurin 1-2 punch at wide receiver could be enough to propel McCarthy and the Vikings passing game to one that lights up the scoreboard on a regular basis.
This trade is almost certainly a long shot from the perspective of both teams. McLaurin is Washington's best and most dependable receiver. He caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago.
McLaurin signed a three-year, $68.4 million contract in 2023, and his cap hit is $25.5 million this season. He will earn $19.65 million in cash this season and that ranks 16th among wide receivers. That represents the problem for McLaurin, because he is one of the top five receivers in the game.
The Vikings could almost certainly accommodate a significant increase in salary for McLaurin because of the cap space they have available.
Trading Addison could be an issue for J.J. McCarthy because the two appear to have developed a rapport. However, McLaurin would likely be an excellent acquisition for the Vikings.
Vikings could be interested in other wide receivers
Adam Thielen of the Carolina Panthers, Tutu Atwell of the Los Angeles Rams and Kendrick Bourne of the New England Patriots could also be trade targets for the Vikings.
Thielen is the former Viking who spent nine years in Minnesota and was extremely dependable throughout his career. He caught 48 passes for 615 yards and 5 touchdowns last season and he knows how to get open on key third down plays.
Atwell is coming off a solid season in which he set career highs in catches with 42 and yards with 562. He could also be a attractive because he served as a returner during his rookie season of 2021.
The 30-year-old Bourne is an eight-year veteran. His first four years were with the San Francisco 49ers while his last four seasons were with the Patriots. He caught 55-800-5 in 2021 with the Patriots, but his numbers fell to 28-305-1 last year. He is a big target at 6-1 and 205 pounds, and could be a decent acquisition.
