Purple Rumor Mill: Trading for Different RB, Dalton Risner, Splashy DT Trade for Vikings

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VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the October 19th edition.

Purple Rumor Mill: Trading for Different RB, Dalton Risner, Splashy DT Trade for Vikings

Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.

Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.

Rumor: The Vikings explored a trade for Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert before landing Cam Akers from the Houston Texans.

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General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah evidently did his diligence with an NFC North foe before acquiring Akers, according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson.

“So prior to the trade for Cam Akers, I’m led to believe the Vikings preferred Khalil Herbert of the Chicago Bears,” Wolfson said on SKOR North airwaves this week.

“Now maybe that’s, you know, diving into those speculative weeds a little bit. 100 percent confirmed, not reckless speculation, the Vikings had dialogue with Chicago, absolutely had interest in Herbert. So it wasn’t Cam Akers or bust. Now clearly the Bears wouldn’t do the parameters of the deal. The Vikings worked out with Houston.”

The NFC North tax was apparently too steep.

Rumor: Dalton Risner is healed and healthy — and has been for a while — ready to play when needed.

Minnesota guard D. Risner addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center. Dalton Risner: “We All Know We Have A Great Culture But We Came Up Short This Season.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Monday, “OL help on the way: The Vikings have designated G Dalton Risner to return to practice off Injured Reserve.”

Risner now has three weeks to be added to the active roster, meaning he will be eligible to play on Sunday, October 20th, versus the Detroit Lions, Thursday, October 24th, at the Los Angeles Rams, or in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts.

And according to Risner, there’s no mystery about his injury recovery. He said this week that he’s itching to play and has been healed for a while. “I’m in football shape. I’ve been ready. This isn’t the first day I’ve been healthy. So, I’m ready to roll. Grateful to be out there practicing,” Risner told Star Tribune, just six days before his Vikings host the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The “isn’t the first day I’ve been healthy” remark is intriguing because one might ask what Minnesota was waiting for regarding his activation.

Rumor: Minnesota could pursue Jeffery Simmons if the Tennessee Titans have a fire sale.

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Tennessee just released once-popular safety Jamal Adams so he could pursue a winning team in free agency, meaning the Titans may be initiating a surrender. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons could be “expendable,” too.

Here’s Simmons’ Pro Football Focus resume to date:

2024: 67.6

2023: 68.4

2022: 81.1

2021: 71.9

2020: 83.6

2019: 70.4

And Simmons is 27, smack dab in the middle of his career prime — that could span another five years. He’d be worth it for a Vikings trade. Simmons’ trade availability is also fascinating because he’s not a one-trick pony. He doesn’t have one specialty as an interior defensive lineman. He has two — terrorizing quarterbacks and stuffing the run.

A to Z Sports recently mentioned Simmons in the theoretical trade rumor mill. He’s out there, at least for discussion. “Trading Simmons would save the Titans about $8 million in cap space for 2025 and get him almost entirely off their books by 2026. But if you’re a team looking to bolster your defensive line for the rest of 2-24 and foreseeable future, Simmons could be worth giving up a haul,” A to Z’s Sam Phalen opined.

“Any team that trades for Simmons would owe him just under $1 million for every game played in 2024 and could retain his services in 2025 for $18 million. It’s worth making a call if you’re a buyer.”

This one is supremely fascinating for the Vikings if the beholder believes the team should trade its 2025 1st-Round pick for a proven commodity.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.