4 other trades the Vikings could have made before the 2022 deadline

Austin Corbett – G

In the same report that the Vikings were looking for an offensive piece to stretch the field, it was also noted that Minnesota was looking for an offensive lineman to help give Cousins time to make those plays happen.

Interior offensive lineman, specifically, was reported to be a topic of interest reported by KSTP’s  Darren Wolfson, and Carolina Panthers guard Austin Corbett was dropped as a name to watch before the trade deadline came and went.

Corbett, a former player under head coach Kevin O’Connell from his time with the Los Angeles Rams, signed a three-year contract with the Panthers, who have clearly shown they’re in rebuild mode.

After firing their head coach Matt Rhule recently, the franchise has traded away Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffery while making a change at quarterback in the process.

It’s unclear the exact availability Corbett had away from Carolina, as he remained on the roster. Still, the idea to add a key offensive lineman in the middle of a one-loss season had to be a tempting scenario for Minnesota, depending on the amount such trade was discussed.

With his free agent signing, Corbett carried a base salary of $7.8 Million, a hefty price tag for any team to pay in addition to trade compensation, especially the Vikings, who are tight in salary cap room.

Additionally, the Panthers may not have wanted to sell every asset they had, excluding Corbett for being a name to discuss in trades. The move would have been aggressive but worth it for both franchises.