If you went and asked the Minnesota Vikings fanbase about what they needed to win a Super Bowl this year, the majority of them will say the quarterback position. It’s not great for the Vikings, who have seen Kyler Murray struggle, and Carson Wentz isn’t the answer.

NFL insider James Palmer reported after Thursday Night Football that the Vikings have been calling around on quarterback, and other positions.

“That hamstring injury for Kyler Murray is legitimate. He is week to week. Now they still believe that Kyler Murray can play the best football of his career with this coaching staff in this offense; they understand it takes time, and they’re being patient,” said Palmer.

“But that does not mean that they won’t address the quarterback position before Tuesday. I’m told they know the market, they know what their options are out there. Their general manager Nolan Teasley has been working the phones over the last several weeks on a variety of positions, so he knows what’s out there. I’m told to keep an eye on what happens Monday night, and potentially the idea of adding to that quarterback room or making a change is on the table for the Minnesota Vikings.”

Minnesota Vikings are still open to adding a quarterback

There are interesting options available to the Vikings when it comes to the quarterback position. There is some logic behind the idea that Murray will get better within the system. Even so, the Vikings aren’t in a position at 6-1 to be the most patient. That’s where the idea of a trade makes the most sense.

We know the likely options are Daniel Jones and Kirk Cousins due to them already having learned head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Being able to eliminate that kind of learning curve is a big deal, especially with the complexities of the quarterback position.

When you think about those complexities, it makes total sense that those two are the top targets, but there is one other that also makes sense if they are willing to make a deal:

Geno Smith of the New York Jets.

Ahead of the season, I wrote about Smith being the ideal quarterback for O’Connell’s system.

“When you watch the film of Smith, he has two things that you love to see when it comes to playing for O’Connell: a willingness to throw it over the middle of the field, and he isn’t afraid to take shots. Between 10 and 20 yards, Smith completed 20/34 passes for 302 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions. He’s not afraid to make the tough throws, but there will be turnovers because he’s trying to find downfield shots.

If you want a quarterback who can play as Sam Darnold did in 2024, Smith might be the closest player available to him. The comparison comes down to three things:

• Willingness to attack vertically
• Live arm to threaten every blade of grass
• Plus pocket presence

It’s all over Smith’s film how well he senses pressure and maneuvers around it beautifully.”

The odd thing about a quarterback trade is that, unlike another position, it’s a lot harder to get up to speed. It will be that much harder if they target someone outside of Cousins or Jones for that reason.

Even so, targeting the best player may be their smartest option. The San Francisco 49ers traded for Jimmy Garoppolo at the trade deadline in 2017, and he sat for three weeks. After losing his first start, Garoppolo led the 49ers to five straight wins to finish the season. Two years later, they were inches away from winning a Super Bowl.

The trade deadline is going to be fascinating to watch for the Vikings.