The Minnesota Vikings are in a fascinating spot. They are currently 5-0 heading into the bye week with a lot of intriguing potential. Their defense and special teams units are at the top of the NFL in DVOA and EPA/play with the offense in the bottom 25% in just about every major metric.

With the team in the spot that they are, it raises the question of how they can improve the team. This roster has a few major needs that general manager Nolan Teasley can address. Running back is going to get better with Jordan Mason coming back from a broken thumb; tight end and guard could use some depth, while the defense could stand to gain a player or two.

We’ve discussed multiple players who the Vikings could target at the trade deadline, and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see Teasley be very aggressive in trying to improve head coach Kevin O’Connell’s team. Within that, there are challenges and intriguing assets to make it happen. Let’s dive into it.

Minnesota Vikings draft picks

The Vikings are flush with draft picks this upcoming April. Here is what they currently have:

• 1st
• 2nd
• 3rd
• 3rd (via PHI)
• 5th
• 5th (via NYG)
• 5th (via CAR)
• 6th
• 6th (via NYJ or KC)

They are also slotted to get either a fifth or sixth-round compensatory pick for wide receiver Jalen Nailor. If they trade a third-round pick, they will get one back when those selections are announced around the NFL Scouting Combine.

Nolan Teasley comes from an aggressive front office

One area that is fascinating when trying to predict what Teasley will do is rooted in what the Seattle Seahawks did for years. Now, Teasley was just the Director of Pro Personnel from 2018-2022 and the Assistant General Manager from 2023 until Minnesota hired him. While he was not the lead decision-maker, he had a major say in what happened.

Some of the big trades that Teasley was involved with since 2018 are fascinating.

• 2025: Traded fourth and fifth-round picks for WR Rashid Shaheed
• 2025: Traded QB Geno Smith for a third-round pick, signed QB Sam Darnold
• 2025: Traded WR DK Metcalf and a sixth-round pick for second and seventh-round picks
• 2024: Traded LB Jerome Baker and fourth-round pick for LB Ernest Jones IV
• 2023: Traded second and fifth-round picks for DE Leonard Williams
• 2022: Traded QB Russell Wilson and fourth-round pick for two first and two second-round picks, TE Noah Fant, DE Shelby Harris, and QB Drew Lock
• 2020: Traded S Bradley McDougald and two first-round picks for S Jamal Adams and fourth-round pick
• 2019: Traded DE Frank Clark and third-round pick for first, second, and third-round picks
• 2019: Traded DE Jacob Martin, LB Barkevious Mingo and third-r0und pick for DE Jadeveon Clowney

When you look at the totality of trades that the Seahawks made, they were very fruitful. The only one that didn’t work out in the Seahawks’ favor was the trade for Adams. The rest were really good valuations of talent both in acquisition and sending out. That’s a huge factor in making trades.

The one challenge Teasley faces at the trade deadline

Being able to identify what players to trade for and the compensation they are worth sending out the door is the first step of making a successful trade. The other aspect is making sure it’s feasible based on what you have in the building.

When it comes to salary cap space, the Vikings aren’t flush with it, with just $5.9 million in salary cap space. What makes things interesting in creating space is what contracts they have to maneuver with. The Vikings have 43 players under contract for next season (including void years) with $35 million in salary cap space.

After maneuvering with multiple contracts this summer, including wide receiver Justin Jefferson, they don’t have many options. Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (base salary $15.39 million, 4 void years), right guard Will Fries ($12.61 million, 3 remaining years), linebacker Blake Cashman ($6.9 million, 2 void years) and tight end T.J. Hockenson ($7 million, 1 void year) are the only realistic option for the Vikings to restructure. The problem is how much money do you want to push out into future years with players who may not be on the roster next year?

If Teasley does choose to maneuver that way, they can make a bevy of trades. It would also signal that the front office truly believes that this team can make a real run at the Super Bowl. Now, they could extend a player like Van Ginkel to drop his cap hit down this year to facilitate a trade instead, making pushing money down the line less impactful, as it wouldn’t be dead. There are ways to maneuver for Teasley, but each one presents its own challenges.

What will Teasley do over the next few weeks ahead of the November 10th deadline? Only time will give us that answer, but I’d guess he will be very active, and it might result in a few new Minnesota Vikings.