Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley has been the subject of a lot of speculation over the last few months.

He didn’t get a chance to go through free agency and the NFL Draft like a normal first year general manager, which has prevented him from truly putting his stamp on the team. With the trade deadline approaching, he has the chance to do just that. How will he choose to approach it? Expectations are that he will be aggressive.

Nolan Teasley could make a massive splash

We’ve spent a lot of time breaking down who the Vikings could target ahead of the NFL trade deadline, and a lot of that focus is rooted in running backs, tight ends, and offensive linemen who can help this year. There is another intriguing element to the discussion: what if he chooses to make a massive splash?

Last year, we saw a couple of intriguing players traded ahead of the deadline in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Could they target a player of that caliber with some serious draft capital?

This century, the Vikings have only traded their first-round pick two times for players: Jared Allen in 2008 and Sam Bradford in 2016. A player they could target? Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter.

Radio voice of the Vikings Paul Allen had beat writer Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune to talk about the trade deadline and they floated the idea of trading for Carter. It wasn’t so much that Allen and Goessling said it would happen, but they floated it, adding the caveat that it would surprise Goessling if the Eagles traded Carter.

The really interesting part is that they also floated that Teasley would throw them an offer.

“We got a third for you this year and a third for you next year. Do you want it?” said Allen.

“Probably yes,” said Goessling when talking about the process of trade discussions. “But, yeah, I would think that if they felt like the prices are there and we can get this guy and him here and get a good return on him, I don’t think I’d rule anything out.”

While the Vikings just invested two early NFL Draft picks on the defensive line, adding an elite player on the front is never a bad idea. It could be really interesting for Brian Flores’ defense to have a true alpha, and help improve how he chooses to attack with pressure.

It would be impactful on multiple levels for the Vikings, and definitely would have Teasley putting his stamp on the team. It doesn’t have to be with Carter, but the concept of Teasley attacking a position aggressively comes from the Seattle Seahawks. Just in the past few years, they traded for defensive lineman Leonard Williams and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline before extending them.

Don’t be surprised to see the Vikings do the same this year.