2014 NFL Draft: Rumor Has Rams Trading Sam Bradford to Vikings

Oct 20, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) is taken off the field on a cart in the fourth quarter. The Carolina Panthers defeated the St. Louis Rams 30-15 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Over the weekend we began hearing murmurs and whispers and rumblings about a huge trade shaking up the top of the draft, a trade that involved the quarterback position.

Such a vague rumor is hard to do much with. But now another layer has been added to the rumor that brings it into clearer focus. And if this rumor has any truth, it would mean a huge shake up for the Vikings.

The rumor, tweeted by St. Louis radio host Tim McKernan but attributed to Jason La Canfora, has the Vikings discussing a trade with the St. Louis Rams that would bring Sam Bradford to Minnesota.

Sam Bradford has been mentioned a lot in trade speculation in St. Louis, with the Rams believed to be looking at QBs with their #2 overall pick. The 2010 #1 overall pick, Bradford has been a disappointment in St. Louis largely due to injury, and would be a free agent after the 2015 season.

The first issue with this trade scenario is Bradford’s $14 million salary for 2014. Any trade would have to be contingent upon Bradford re-negotiating his contract, clearly, since the Vikings don’t even have $14 million in cap room.

And what exactly would the Vikings be giving up to make this deal happen? Would it involve the Vikings and Rams swapping first round picks, with the Vikings moving down from 8 to 13 and probably having to throw in another pick farther back in the draft?

There are so many things about this rumor that don’t make sense on the face of it. At the same time, you can’t entirely discount the possibility of it happening.

We know the Vikings are desperate to land a franchise QB. We know, or at least suspect, that Rick Spielman has been put under a bit of pressure by owner Zygi Wilf to get the QB situation fixed.

Drafting a QB like Teddy Bridgewater or Blake Bortles might not look like a quick enough fix for Spielman, if he is indeed under the gun. Last year he felt enough pressure to bring in Josh Freeman hoping Freeman would give the team a spark.

Bradford has his issues like Freeman, but Spielman might believe that a Bradford-Cassel training camp competition gives him a better chance to improve the offense in the short term, thereby saving his job for the long term, than drafting a QB who might need a year to develop.

Even taking Spielman’s pressurized situation into account, it seems like a stretch to think that the Vikings would be trying to deal with St. Louis for a quarterback who has that much money owed to him, and has that many question marks hanging over his head.

It only makes a small amount of sense if the deal can be done without the Vikings having to trade out of the first round. Is it still worth it if they have to throw in a second or third round pick?

Well, if they were planning to take a QB in the second or third round anyway, maybe…

Crazy scenario, but not 100% unthinkable. We’ll see how it plays out. It’s getting hot in herrre, as a famous St. Louis resident once said.

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