The Minnesota Vikings have welcomed Justin Jefferson back to practice this week, but otherwise, their wide receiver depth chart resembles a M.A.S.H. unit. Add in how Jordan Addison will be suspended for the first three games of the season, and Tom Pelissero's report about scouring the trade market for a wide receiver was too obvious.
The trade of veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets feels like a precursor to making a move for a wide receiver. The questions are how far general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is willing to go to add someone, and the related cost along that line.
Any and all options should be considered, though, and teams that seem rudderless make for easy potential trade partners.
With that in mind, we have the Indianapolis Colts. Former Viking Daniel Jones' decision to sign with them has proven to be a savvy one, as he has been named the starting quarterback over Anthony Richardson.
Head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are in job preservation to such an extent that they've bailed on Richardson, who they knew would be a project when they drafted him fourth overall in 2023.
MInnesota Vikings might have opportunity to swing deal for Indianapolis Colts WR
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report has offered a trade each NFL team should propose before the 2025 season starts. For the Colts, he had them taking advantage of the Vikings' need at wide receiver.
"The Colts are trending towards another trying season without a solution to their quarterback woes. While Daniel Jones has beaten out incumbent starter Anthony Richardson, it's going to be tough for the veteran signal-caller to get this middling franchise into contention."
Indianapolis should be proactive at this juncture, dealing away players on expiring contracts such as Alec Pierce to clubs desperate for assistance.
The Vikings fit the bill as a potential suitor for Pierce, given the squad is dealing with a three-week suspension to Jordan Addison and could be without Jalen Nailor while he nurses a hand injury.
Pierce was a second-round pick in 2022 and still has plenty of potential, but the poor quarterback play in Indy has limited his contributions. A change of scenery could see him blossom as a tertiary option in Minnesota."
Pierce led the league in yards per catch last season (22.3), along with career-highs in yards (823) and touchdowns (seven). For all his other flaws, Richardson is at least willing to let it fly downfield, and that fits Pierce's game nicely (21.5 aDOT last season).
Jones, on the other hand, has the opposite profile as a passer. So Pierce is set to get in a lot of cardio this season, with less-than-ideal production sure to follow in a contract year.
In that sense, a distressed asset on his current team who's also entering a contract year, Pierce is exactly the type of wide receiver the Vikings should be targeting on the trade market.
Kay's proposal of a 2026 fourth-round pick going back to the Colts lands as a tad aggressive, but it's also not a prohibitive cost at this late stage heading into the season.