Vikings Trade Proposal from CBS Sports Is Ridiculous

Some branches of NFL media really want Matthew Stafford to play for the Minnesota Vikings.

Vikings Trade Proposal from CBS Sports Is Ridiculous

If the Vikings didn’t have J.J. McCarthy on the roster, the theory would actually make sense.

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Stafford could be on the move this offseason, as Stafford’s wife, Kelly, said on a podcast a couple of weeks ago that her husband wouldn’t mind a change of scenery from the Los Angeles Rams, especially after Los Angeles is on deck to get rid of Cooper Kupp this offseason.

The veteran passer just turned 37, and ending his career elsewhere is in play. Well, thanks to CBS Sports, in an article outlining Stafford trade packages, Minnesota could hand the Rams its 24th overall pick in exchange for Stafford.

.”This is a much more straightforward deal for Stafford, which would land him with the Minnesota Vikings. First off, this truly centers around the Vikings’ desire to retain Sam Darnold (who faltered down the stretch) and confidence in J.J. McCarthy. If they want to improve their quarterback play from Darnold and still believe McCarthy needs more time to develop, Stafford gives the Vikings a high ceiling for at least the next two seasons,” Tyler Sullivan wrote last week.

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“If they think McCarthy is ready to ascend to QB1, however, or decide to stick with Darnold either via the franchise tag or an extension, that blocks this landing spot for Stafford.”

Stafford tossed 20 touchdowns in 2024 and checked in as the league’s 16th-best quarterback per EPA+CPOE.

Since the Kelly Stafford podcast, the Vikings have headlined the Stafford rumor mill because of Kevin O’Connell’s connection. The two won a Super Bowl together in 2021.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

Sullivan added, “From the Rams’ side of things, they’d be armed with two first-round picks (No. 24 and No. 26), which they could use to move around the board or simply stick and pick. Another layer to this would be that Darnold would shake free from Minnesota, creating another option for the Rams as they search for their next quarterback for the foreseeable future.”

This idea would have been utterly superb — if McCarthy hadn’t joined the team 10 months ago. But he did, and Minnesota is almost guaranteed not to trade its 1st-Round pick for a quarterback at the age of 37.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

Embracing the CBS Sports theory would shatter everything Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah planned in the last three years, carefully offloading expensive veteran contracts in favor of youth and a new vision.

All Stafford-to-Vikings theories, particularly those involving 1st-Round draft capital, are ludicrous.

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 Vikings 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.