The Minnesota Vikings joined the rest of the NFL in a quiet trade deadline on Tuesday, declining to make a deal and putting rumors of a “fire sale” to rest.
The Vikings were a team presumed to be sellers at the deadline because of their 2-5 record, but nothing materialized despite rumors surrounding Anthony Harris and Adam Thielen. There was also a chance the Vikings could have included Harrison Smith and Riley Reiff in deals, but the “fire sale” scenario never materialized.
If anything, their upset victory over the Green Bay Packers last Sunday may have persuaded the Vikings they can make a move in the second half with several winnable games on the schedule.
If there’s a silver lining, nothing of note materialized around the league, meaning the Vikings didn’t lose ground by not making a move.
MMQB’s Albert Breer reported that part of the reason was that teams are looking for larger than normal returns on veteran players and the presumption of a lower salary cap in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3 problems with trade talks to this point (18 minutes to the deadline) …
1) Asking prices have been relatively high on veteran players.
2) '21 cap makes it tougher to take on guys due or asking for big 💰 past this year.
3) Looming cap shortfall = Value of draft picks is 📈.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 3, 2020
For now, the Vikings will have to move forward with what they have if they hope to make a push for the final playoff spot (or for a top-five pick in the NFL Draft) with what they have.
