After going 13-4 last NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings have fallen on hard times. They have a 1-4 record so far this year, and their chances of improving that mark and competing for a playoff spot look bleak.
They have Justin Jefferson, arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, but not much else. It has led to plenty of trade rumors, particularly regarding Kirk Cousins, their 35-year-old starting quarterback.
Cousins is nearing free agency, and it wouldn’t make sense for a rebuilding team such as Minnesota to keep him around on a new contract. Thus, many feel it would make sense for it to trade him before the Oct. 31 trade deadline and get at least one asset in return for him.
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Daniel Jones, New York Giants & Minnesota Vikings Updates
What if that asset were New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones? Alex Hoegler of Total Pro Sports feels it would be a worthwhile trade for the Vikings.
“It sounds crazy, but do hear us out,” wrote Hoegler.
“Jones is on his third head coach in the Meadowlands. The Giants haven’t given him a single Pro Bowl-level pass-catcher, a top-10 defense nor a half-decent offensive line.
“The oft-injured Saquon Barkley is the only game-changing weapon Jones ever had. And in their lone full season together? Lo and behold, they took the Giants to the postseason and even upset Cousins’ Vikings in the 2022 Wild Card Round.
“… An offensive genius guru head coach like Kevin O’Connell might rebuild Jones and turn him into the star the Giants never had. It’s at least worth a shot with all that offensive-led weaponry that the Vikings could offer.”
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Daniel Jones, New York Giants & Minnesota Vikings Updates
The argument Hoegler made is that Jones has never developed because New York has surrounded him with sub-standard wide receivers and a poor offensive line. Although that can’t be the full explanation for Jones’ lackluster production, he has completed 68.9 percent of his pass attempts this season after posting a 67.2 percent completion rate last year.
However, so far in 2023, Jones has thrown six interceptions and just two touchdown passes, and the 1-4 Giants do not have a single wide receiver who has reached 200 yards.
Perhaps playing with Jefferson, along with a very capable tight end in T.J. Hockenson and a stud rookie wideout in Jordan Addison, would unlock Jones’ potential while giving the Vikings a young signal-caller to count on for years to come.
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Daniel Jones, New York Giants & Minnesota Vikings Updates
After unexpectedly making the playoffs last season, the Giants may be in a position of needing to make major changes, as are the Vikings right now.
