The Vikings are reportedly interested in making a major trade before or during the 2024 NFL Draft. Minnesota hasn’t yet hammered out a deal with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins about a month before the new league year.

Kirk Cousins wants to win next season
If the Vikings are unable to find a number Cousins likes, the star quarterback will become a free agent. Cousins has said he likes Minnesota, but the aging player wants to find his best shot at winning a Super Bowl.

Cousins has been linked to several quarterback-needy teams, including a potential option that sends him to the Miami Dolphins. The Vikings could be better off finding a rookie quarterback in the draft. They’d have a cheap option with a rookie contract as the Vikings negotiate with wide receiver Justin Jefferson this offseason.

The Vikings could trade up in the draft for a QB
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings have explored options to replace Cousins. Higher-ups around the NFL think the Vikings would be willing to move up in April’s draft to select one of the top quarterback prospects:

“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.”

Would the Vikings trade down and take a quarterback?
The Vikings don’t necessarily have to limit themselves to Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels to take a quarterback in the first round. Instead of trading up to land a quarterback, they could stay where they’re at and take J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. for next season.

Depending on how the board falls, the Vikings could trade down in the first round, add draft capital, and take one of those quarterbacks, as Fowler has them on the bubble of the first round:

“There are six quarterbacks who have a chance to get picked on Day 1 this year. USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and UNC’s Drake Maye all seem destined for the top five, while the next tier consists of three possible first-rounders in Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.

McCarthy, fresh off a national championship with a 27-1 record as a starter, appears to be a first-round lock. Both Penix and Nix — who had up-and-down weeks at the Senior Bowl — are coming off prolific college seasons; Penix led college football in passing yards with 4,903, while Nix was second at 4,508.”

The Vikings might be one of the more fun wild-card teams to watch this spring. Depending on Cousins’ decision in March, we’ll have a better idea of what the team will want to do in the draft.