Kevin O'Connell head coach Minnesota Vikings
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On the eve of the NFL trade deadline, the Minnesota Vikings may be borderline forced into making a trade at quarterback after a disastrous showing from Carson Wentz in his third game of the season taking over the reins from the injured Kyler Murray.
Prior to suffering a hamstring injury late on against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, Murray had also struggled to perform up to his best ability.
Now that neither Wentz and Murray look to be the part for a team that has a stellar, perhaps championship-winning level defense, the buzz has gotten even hotter that the Vikings could look to the trade market over the next few hours to make a last-minute deal to acquire a signal caller.
Kevin O’Connell Deferring to GM on QB Trade
And when asked about a possible move at the position, O’Connell simply deferred entirely to the team’s general manager Nolan Teasley.
"I'll defer to Nolan [Vikings GM] on that."
Kevin O'Connell on if he has given any thought to acquiring a QB before the trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/lJb8BOMLJj
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2026
“I’ll defer to Nolan [Vikings GM] on that.” O’Connell said after the game in reference to a QB trade. “We’ve had dialogue about a lot of different positions. Tight turnaround obviouslyplaying the Monday night game before that. And we’ll get right to work on any potential moves that can be there.”
Vikings QB Trade On the Table After Noncommittal Comments
Kevin O'Connell head coach Minnesota Vikings
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 09: Head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 09, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
This very much leaves the door open for Minnesota to go out and pick up a new quarterback, whether it be Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones or another option.
Normally in these situations, head coaches express confidence in their current players; especially at quarterback where the acquisition of a starting player necessarily implies a demotion for the current players on the roster – in comparison to adding a wide receiver or linebacker, for example.
But in this case O’Connell had no problem letting the media and fans publicly know that in less than 24 hours time the Vikings could have a totally new starting quarterback.