The Minnesota Vikings seem focused on drafting their future QB in April, but they passed on another good option.
Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons right after free agency opened, leaving the starting job open in Minnesota. At that time, the Chicago Bears were still looking to trade quarterback Justin Fields with the realization that a trade for a second-round pick wasn’t going to happen.
Ultimately, the Bears traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick, which becomes a fourth-rounder if he plays 51% of the team’s offensive snaps in 2024. Chicago accepted this minimal return, in part because general manager Ryan Poles wanted to do right by Fields . That meant moving Fields as quickly as possible to one of four destinations he preferred for his future. Pittsburgh was one, and so was Minnesota, according to.
Brooke Pryor of ESPN . “The Steelers were one of four teams on Fields’ radar before free agency, along with the Vikings,.
and Falcons, a source familiar with Fields’ thinking said,” Pryor wrote on Friday, March 29. Raiders Vikings Could Have Acquired Justin Fields for Day-3 Draft Pick
Quarterback Justin Fields, formerly of the Chicago Bears.
GettyThe Vikings may or may not have talked to the Bears about a potential deal for Fields, but it's hard to believe that general manager
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell weren’t at least aware of Fields’ interest in Minnesota as a top-four destination. A deal for Fields would have been complex for the Vikings, but the initial cost would likely have been lower than what they will spend on a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
To get Fields, Minnesota would have probably needed to outdo the Steelers’ offer. However, they could have achieved that by offering Chicago just a fifth-round pick with conditions that bumped it up to a fourth-rounder.
Instead, Minnesota traded two seconds and a sixth to the
Houston Texans earlier this month to get the No. 23 overall pick. Most analysts expect the Vikings did this because they plan to combine that selection with their No. 11 pick to try and move up into the top five and draft a player like J.J. McCarthy Drake Maye or . Doing so might end up costing Minnesota a 2025 first-rounder, depending on how high they try to trade and the competition for that draft position.Vikings Avoided Significant Financial Decisions at QB Position by Passing on Chance to Trade for Justin Fields
Former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
GettyIn the near future, however, Fields is likely to become considerably more expensive.
The Steelers took on the remaining $3.2 million salary from Fields’
$18.9 million rookie contract which is a good deal for the former No. 11 overall pick. However, they also took on the decision about Fields’ $25.7 fifth-year option, which they must make by early May.If Pittsburgh decides not to use that option, Fields will become a free agent in March 2025. At that time, the former Bears starter could become very expensive, as Spotrac estimates his market value to be over $47 million per year for a new six-year contract ($283.2 million total).
If Minnesota acquires a top rookie prospect, that player will be on a rookie deal with controlled costs for four years, and the contract will include a fifth-year option for the Vikings. However, the team may now need to depend on
to start in 2024, which is not ideal for a roster with so many talented receivers. Sam Darnold The Minnesota Vikings seem fully committed to drafting their future QB in April, but they chose to overlook another viable option.
