NFL teams are in the final stage of what they want to do at the trade deadline, and that includes the Minnesota Vikings. At 4-4, Kevin O’Connell and his team are at the bottom of the NFC North, but remain in the conference’s playoff picture.
After beating the Detroit Lions in Week 9, the Vikings have a puncher’s chance not just to secure an NFC Wildcard spot, but possibly win the division if the situation goes their way. Moreover, Minnesota might not need to make a splashy move, but one that improves its depth.
With the season-ending injury to Carson Wentz, the Vikings don’t have a reliable veteran quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy. If the young player struggles or an injury should arise, there’s not much behind him.
As a result, CBS Sports NFL analyst Ran Carthon believes that New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson would be an ideal last-minute target for Minnesota to have as insurance behind McCarthy.
“I like Russ here,” Carthon said on the October 3 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “We’ve heard potentially Kurt Cousins. I don’t see that happening because I don’t see the Vikings giving up a high pick and having the Falcons pay down that contract, and I just don’t see the Vikings taking on that number.
“But adding a guy like Russell Wilson, if you think about Russell Wilson when he was at his best, he had a strong defense and weapons all around him. I think going to a team like Minnesota, not as a starter, but as a quality backup for them, they’re sitting at 4-4 right now.”
Would Russell Wilson Want to Go to Minnesota?
If Wilson were to head to the Vikings, he’d be in a similar situation as he’s currently in with the Giants, serving as a backup for a young quarterback. Nonetheless, Carthon sees this as an ideal fit for Wilson because, as of now, McCarthy hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
“[The Vikings are] not out of it in the division, and they’re not out of it in the wild card,” Carthon added. “I think if something were to happen with J.J. McCarthy because he hadn’t been able to stay healthy, having a veteran like Russell Wilson there could right the ship and keep them in contention come January…
“[And] to have the ability to throw to Justin Jefferson and [Jordan] Addison and [T.J. Hockenson] and be able to play with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Those are all guys that are playing really good football at this point. And that would give him much better weapons than, I’ll say, what the Giants currently have.”
The Vikings Did Add a Veteran QB
While Wilson would be an interesting name to bring to the Vikings, Minnesota did make a move to bolster its depth at quarterback. On October 29, the team announced that they signed John Wolford to their practice squad.
Wolford played in seven NFL games and started four from 2020 to 2022, including a 2020 start with the Los Angeles Rams when O’Connell served as his offensive coordinator. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings feel that having rookie Max Brosmer and Wolford is enough depth behind McCarthy.
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