The Minnesota Vikings have tipped their hand that an addition to the wide receiver room ahead of Week 1 is likely, though that does not necessarily have to come via a trade that costs the franchise future draft assets.
A handful of reasonable options remain available via free agency, including five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper.
Cooper most recently played for the Buffalo Bills following a mid-season trade in 2024 between that organization and the Cleveland Browns. And while he didn’t have the biggest impact in Buffalo, he has a track record of recent success and could work in a pinch while the Vikings sort out suspension and injury issues in their receivers room.
Vikings Need Another WR to Begin Season Due to Jordan Addison’s Suspension, Jalen Nailor’s Injury
GettyWide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota already knows with certainty that it will be without No. 2 wideout Jordan Addison for the first three games of the year.
That is the length of the suspension the NFL handed down to Addison for his culpability in a DUI incident outside Los Angeles International Airport in July of last year.
Jalen Nailor had a career season in 2024 and is the No. 3 player in the receivers room, though he’s battling a hand injury and is week to week moving forward. It’s also unclear how successful Nailor might prove in the No. 2 role over a substantial stretch of time, even alongside Pro-Bowl talents in WR1 Justin Jefferson and TE1 T.J. Hockenson. Nailor did, however, prove serviceable in the role on a short-term basis last year when the Vikings dealt with injury issues to the position group.
As such, Minnesota has been on the phone gauging the trade market in recent days, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
“The Jets are among several teams monitoring the trade market for potential wide receiver additions, per sources,” Russini reported via X Wednesday, August 20. “The 49ers and Vikings are also making calls.”
Vikings Could Take Big Swing on Player Like Terry McLaurin, but Free-Agent Deal for Amari Cooper Makes More Sense
GettyWide receiver Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders.
Minnesota could swing huge for a player like Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders, who was a second-team All-Pro in 2024 and asked for a trade after contract negotiations stalled earlier this offseason.
However, the amount of player/draft capital the Vikings would have to surrender to acquire McLaurin, combined with his price point going forward and the salary cap issues the team faces in 2026, render that a hard needle to thread and potentially a move that could even hamper Minnesota’s title chances over the next few years if enough things broke wrong.
Trading for any player, regardless of status, is going to cost Minnesota something in terms of assets before the organization has to shell out a contract. As such, it’s fair to ask the question: Why not just take a one-season swing on a veteran in free agency at a low number? Addison will be back by Week 4, after which the player the Vikings bring in will probably be relegated to either WR3 or a battle with Nailor for snaps there.
That, plus the fact that the Vikings would probably want to do just a one-year deal, might dissuade a player like Cooper from signing out of free agency until all of his other options are exhausted.
One-Year Deal for Amari Cooper in 2025 Likely to Look Similar to What Keenan Allen Got From Chargers
GettyFormer Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Cooper put up 44 catches for 547 yards and four TDs across 14 games played in 2024, which are reasonable WR3 numbers. However, the year prior he produced 72 catches for 1,250 yards and five scores on the way to earning Pro-Bowl honors for the fifth time in his career.
Cooper will play the upcoming campaign at 31 years old, and while he has had some health issues, he is still healthy and productive enough that he will certainly catch on somewhere.
A reasonable comparison to what Cooper might cost is the one-year, $3 million agreement that Keenan Allen inked to reunite with the Los Angeles Chargers. Cooper and Allen have produced similarly exceptional numbers during their respective careers, but are both on the wrong side of 30, have had injury issues in recent seasons and put up down years in 2024 compared to the prior campaign.
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