Jalen Nailor, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
To say that Minnesota Vikings haven’t gotten off to a great start would be putting it mildly. The reality is that this team was constructed to win now, and they were expected to have four wins well before Week 9.
Kevin O’Connell’s team has dealt with a significant amount of injuries, and players have put themselves in the path of danger as well. Now with the NFL trade deadline just six days away, they could be forced to choose a path.
It’s possible that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah simply stands pat with the roster he has. It’s also entirely plausible that Minnesota fields calls on players and they may be too good to pass up. Jalen Nailor could find himself in those crosshairs.
Jalen Nailor an intriguing trade chip for MN Vikings
When the season started Minnesota felt the need to bring Adam Thielen in as a boost with Jordan Addison suspended. He hasn’t provided much of anything and Jalen Nailor has held down the third wideout spot. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert has suggested the wideout could be on the move next week though.
Wide receiver Jalen Nailor. He is a key part of the Vikings’ three-receiver sets and has played the fourth-highest percentage of snaps (74.1%) of any offensive player. But in the Vikings’ efforts to feed Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Nailor has been targeted only 26 times this season. (He has caught 13 of those throws for 162 yards and a touchdown.) The Vikings aren’t looking to trade Nailor, but they have depth behind him in veteran Adam Thielen. Nailor is also a pending free agent. With Jefferson set to count for $39 million against the 2026 cap, and Addison eligible for an extension this upcoming offseason, Nailor could move on next year anyway.
Kevin Seifert – ESPN
While it looked as though the Minnesota Vikings offense would be flush with playmakers, the passing game has largely relied on just the top two. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have factored in plenty, but usage of Nailor, Thielen, or even T.J. Hockenson has been non-existent.
In 17 games last year, Nailor caught 28 passes for 414 yards and six touchdowns. This season, through seven games, he has 13 receptions for 162 yards and a single score. He’s on track to best the 2024 mark, but he remains such an insignificant part of the gameplan.
Whether the Vikings turn things around or not, cashing in on some level of return for Nailor is hardly a bad idea. Thielen is very clearly not the same player he once was, but he’s still plenty capable of filling the minimal role Nailor has been cast into.
There shouldn’t be much expectation that Minnesota nets something substantial for their 2022 6th round pick. A late round selection could pave a path to another cycle for a similar player though.
Vikings trade deadline plans could hinge on Detroit
While the NFL is a beast when it comes to overall popularity, the league does not operate at the trade deadline anything like Major League Baseball or the National Basketball Association. Trades are often few and far between, and they are more more complicated to pull off.
Minnesota is a game below .500 at 3-4 heading into Week 9. They are 9.5 point underdogs against the 5-2 Lions. It would be a surprise to see J.J. McCarthy step back in at quarterback and immediately knock off one of the best teams in the league.
If the Vikings pull off an upset, they may be intrigued to add more win-now pieces. The most logical line of thinking says they should probably just let the dice fall where they may. At any rate, Kirk Cousins wanting out and coming back, would seem to significantly stretch the parameters of reality.
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