Ex-NFL player shares bonkers Vikings trade idea that makes zero sense
By Adam Patrick
With the Minnesota Vikings entering their bye week with a 5-0 record, most assume they will be buyers when it comes to possibly making a deal before this season's trade deadline.
If this ends up being the case, the Vikings have a number of position groups they can improve with a trade in the near future. However, former NFL player and current NFL Network analyst Akbar Gbajabiamila recently suggested an idea for Minnesota to add someone to a position group that currently isn't a need for the team.
"This is obviously a great run for the Minnesota Vikings, but they've got T.J. Hockenson coming back, and you start thinking like, what could they do? They could add some depth. I mean, you talk about depth you think about what the Kansas City Chiefs have done. They continuously add depth. Somebody gets hurt, they got somebody else up there.
How about going out maybe looking out for an Amari Cooper who's on a struggling Browns team? [Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] was in Cleveland already [and he] has familiarity with Amari Cooper.
You bring him [in], now, all of a sudden, you have depth at the wide receiver position. You've got Justin Jefferson, you've got Addison, Amari Cooper, T.J. Hockenson. Now, all of a sudden, you've got guys who can, you know when home field advantage comes around, they're making it deep, deep, deep, and going in and winning maybe potentially a Super Bowl."
Minnesota Vikings should not trade for Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper
Gbajabiamila could have picked almost any other position group for the Vikings to improve before this season's trade deadline, but instead, he chose one that has almost no need for a player like Amari Cooper.
Minnesota already has superstar Justin Jefferson at the top of its wide receiver depth chart, followed by Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, and Brandon Powell. The Vikings aren't going to move on from Jefferson or Addison before this year's trade deadline, and Nailor has performed well as the team's third receiver this season.
Gbajabiamila mentioned Minnesota tight end T.J. Hockenson is expected to return from injury soon, which will mean a decrease in targets for guys like Addison, Nailor, and running back Aaron Jones. Why in the world would the Vikings add Cooper to the mix when there's a good chance that the football won't be thrown in his direction very often?
While the thought that Minnesota should be buyers leading up to this season's trade deadline is one that almost everyone can agree on, the team giving up future assets to acquire Cooper isn't a move that the Vikings front office should even be considering.