The Minnesota Vikings weren’t active at the NFL trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean the team’s front office isn’t looking for ways to bolster the roster amid a battle to secure a playoff spot in the NFC.
While the trade deadline has come and gone, there’s still the free agent market that the Vikings could consider. Moreover, Minnesota have its eye on a player who, if healthy, can provide a significant boost to their defense.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on November 5, citing sources, that the Green Bay Packers and Vikings are also set to meet with cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. However, the Carolina Panthers are scheduled to host him first. It comes as no surprise that all three teams looking to sign Samuel are three teams in the midst of a playoff race.
Additionally, it appears that the player not only wants to play but also suit up for a playoff contender, having undergone spinal fusion surgery in April and been recently cleared for football activities, per ESPN.
Since being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2021 draft, Samuel has totaled 176 tackles and six interceptions across 50 career games, including 47 starts.
The Vikings Were Trying to Make a Trade
Despite standing pat and not looking to overpay, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted that the team’s general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, was making a lot of calls to make a potential move. Nonetheless, nothing would transpire.
“I would say the Whoppers are more on the whiteboard right now with the coaching staff plays more so than me being involved directly right now with any of that stuff,” O’Connell told KFAN’s Paul Allen on November 4. “But I know there’s a lot of calls going on. Kwesi and the staff do a great job with that and we’ll see where the day goes.”
Minnesota Is Happy With Their QB Situation
Amid all the trade speculation with the Vikings, experts had them going after a veteran quarterback following the season-ending injury to Carson Wentz. While J.J. McCarthy is the future for Minnesota, he’s dealt with injuries in his young NFL career. As a result, many assumed that a security blanket was needed for a team that’s ready to win now.
However, the Vikings didn’t pursue a veteran signal caller and O’Connell recently stated that he’s okay with what he has on the depth chart.
“I think with bringing John in, it was something where we wanted to make sure we had a third guy in the room, a guy I know very well,” O’Connell said on November 3 (h/t Kevin Seifert of ESPN).
“He immediately picked up where I remember being with John — super smart, has a pretty high level of quickness and athleticism, quick twitch for a release and kind of a tight window thrower kind of guy that can activate a lot of different throw types. And he’s got experience understanding how our pass offense works and how we want to operate. So as he said, he’s the old man in the room now, and I think that’s important for two young guys.”
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