3 worst trades ever made by the Minnesota Vikings

2. Bradford for a first-round pick in 2016

As the Vikings were in the middle of preparing for the 2016 regular season, the team was handed a swift kick in the nuts when quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a brutal knee injury during a summer practice.

Bridgewater’s chance of playing in 2016 quickly vanished and Minnesota was left wondering what to do after their starting quarterback was lost for the season. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman had to figure something out quick and he was eventually able to land Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bradford didn’t come cheap though. In exchange for the quarterback, Minnesota sent the Eagles a 2017 first-round draft pick and a 2018 fourth-round selection.

Through his first four games with the Vikings, Bradford seemed like he was well worth the price it took to acquire him. Minnesota won each of the quarterback’s first four starts as he completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 990 yards, six touchdowns, an no interceptions.

But then old habits of Bradford’s crept back onto the field and his streak of success quickly came to an end.

The veteran quarterback shifted into the form of “Captain Checkdown” (less than seven yards per pass attempt) and the Vikings won just three of his final 11 starts of the season. Whatever magic Bradford discovered during the beginning of 2016 was nowhere to be found at the end of the year.

As a follow up to his spectacular campaign in 2016, the quarterback appeared in just two games for Minnesota in 2017 due to issues with his knees. Something the Vikings knew could end up becoming a reality when they traded for him the year before.

The one person that made out the best from Bradford getting sent to Minnesota is former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum. If not for Bradford going down early last season, Keenum would have never been able to have the magical year he had in 2017 and then cash in with the Denver Broncos this past offseason.