If Desired, The Vikings Can Throw Caution to the Wind, Push Expectations Through the Roof

No sense of exaggeration with this one, folks. If the decisions makers in Eagan want to do something crazy, the option exists for them to do so.

Indeed, the Vikings can throw caution to the wind, bringing in a pair of future Hall of Fame veterans with the intention of supercharging their chance of winning it all in 2025. Putting Jalen Ramsey at corner would represent a strong boost for Brian Flores’ defense. What about Aaron Rodgers on offense? That one is a touch more debatable, but (presumably) the option still exists.

The Vikings Can Throw Caution to the Wind

Since taking over, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been quite consistent: the idea is to thread the needle as he builds a team capable of yearly contention. Pursuing an approach where it’s all about loading up for a single season isn’t what Adofo-Mensah envisions.

Could we therefore conclude that the “caution to the wind” approach is outside of the GM’s self-stated vision? Quite possibly, yes.

The pushback would simply be that Adofo-Mensah isn’t against employing veterans. Go ahead and check in with Ryan Kelly, Javon Hargrave, and Jonathan Allen (among others) to prove the point. Furthermore, the GM does still prioritize the present moment — wanting to win in 2025 — so there’s a sense where he’ll push at least some of his chips into the middle of the table for the sake of improving the payout right now.

Start with the less controversial decision: making a move for Mr. Ramsey (tip of the cap to Ian Rapoport for breaking the news).

The corner is 30 — he’ll hit 31 in October — so most of his football is behind him. Keep in mind, however, that he’s still earning strong grades at a spot like PFF, has great size, and a history with Kevin O’Connell. The bonus is that he can get shuffled all over a defense, something Brian Flores covets in his defenders. Earlier in the week, Dustin Baker of Vikings Territory (read the piece) proposed a trade price tag where Minnesota surrenders their No. 97 pick (the 3rd) in exchange for Ramsey alongside a 2026 6th. The price seems bang on given that a 3rd was the key asset being sent to the Rams a couple of years ago when Miami snagged Ramsey (it was the 77th pick).

Now, what about Mr. Rodgers.

Two bits of good news. He’s a free agent, so there’s no need to send a draft pick(s) to another team to get him onto the roster. So, too, does he come with the benefit of not impacting the compensatory picks. The Jets cut the veteran, meaning he’s free to sign without the hindrance of taking a comp pick out of a team’s allotment.

At this point, is Aaron Rodgers actually better than J.J. McCarthy? If so, is he so much better that he’s worth the headache that comes with employing him?

Impossible to say, for at least two reasons. First, Rodgers’ recent underwhelming effort came as a Jet. Folks, the Jets are a brutal team. A lot of quarterbacks would fail to thrive in New York (see: Darnold, Sam). What about working under Kevin O’Connell while throwing to Justin Jefferson? Second, there’s the mystery surrounding McCarthy, someone who has never thrown an NFL pass (at least not in the regular season). Rodgers, in contrast, has been in the NFL since 2005, participating in 248 regular season games while attempting 8,245 passes. Experience, or lack thereof, isn’t Rodgers’ issue.

Earlier in the week, Janik Eckardt discussed the Rodgers possibility, doing so in response to an Albert Breer piece where two significant tidbits emerged: Aaron Rodgers’ belief in being able to win a Super Bowl and willingness to help McCarthy to grow/develop. Decisions, decisions.

Another pesky problem: could the team actually afford to do this? Not currently.

The caveat, of course, is that the cap can be manipulated in a variety of ways. The current word from OTC is that Minnesota has a bit beyond $17.2 million. Keep in mind that they’ll gain some added cap space in June due to releasing Garrett Bradbury. Even more lucrative (in the short term, at least) would be extending Brian O’Neill (close to $13M in cap space), Andrew Van Ginkel (roughly $7.7M in cap space), and Josh Metellus (close to $3.5M in cap space).

The Vikings, in short, could do the financial gymnastics necessary to fit everyone under the cap. There would be pain down the road, but it’s possible. The bonus would be if Rodgers is willing to take well below market value.

In the end, neither move is super likely if left in isolation. The same team doing both deals? Even more unlikely.

However, both have at least some degree of plausibility, for a variety of reasons. Adding Aaron Rodgers and Jalen Ramsey would be the kind of move that would send expectations through the roof but with some justified uncertainty about whether the risk is worth it.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.