Should the Minnesota Vikings trade for Trent Williams?

Williams’ contract situation

Any team that is fortunate to acquire the services of Trent Williams will have to offer him a new deal almost immediately.

The 31-year-old is looking for the last big-money contract of his professional career. This is something the  Redskins were unwilling to do and they will now potentially move on without the perennial Pro Bowler.

Getting him to the Vikings is going to be costly. Keeping him around beyond 2020 represents a substantial financial commitment Minnesota cannot afford at the present time. They are really up against the wall with salary cap constraints and they currently only have around $1 million in spare funds.

While they will probably make the necessary moves in the coming weeks to relieve this, having Williams would be another drain on the Vikings’ financial resources when they still have plenty of other pressing needs elsewhere.

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and Minnesota will only go as far as Kirk Cousins takes them. Getting someone like Williams to be Cousins’ primary protector might take a lofty price the Vikings are willing to pay. The veteran blocker is set to make $12.5 million in base salary during the final year of his current contract in 2020.

Williams is looking for a long-term commitment from any organization that makes a move to get him. According to Spotrac, he is projected to command a deal that gives him a $15.2 million annual salary

If Minnesota is all-in on winning now, then some serious moves will need to be made to make this potential trade financially viable.