Vikings should look into pursuing an elite defensive player, but there is a catch to making it happen
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley
Despite spending multiple premium draft assets to address the defensive line, the Minnesota Vikings shouldn’t shy away from adding a premium player to the unit. Jalen Redmond is already an elite player and first-round pick Caleb Banks projects to be a game-wrecker if he can stay healthy.
Domonique Orange was selected at 82nd overall and projects to be the future nose tackle, but should a third-round pick prevent you from acquiring an elite player? That’s a question that new general manager Nolan Teasley is now set to confront.
Minnesota Vikings should explore trade for DT Vita Vea
Monday brought news that Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade. The two-time Pro Bowl player is looking for a contract extension with his four-year, $71 million deal set to expire after the season.
Vea has proven to be an elite nose tackle during the course of his career. He’s also been surprisingly durable during his career, missing more than three games just once in 2020. He’s a really good player overall, and done a great job in getting pressure. Across 3,230 pass rush snaps, Vea has 335 pressures (10.37%) and 35.0 sacks. It’s pretty impressive for a 347 pound nose tackle.
There are two things that make this difficult:
- Vea just turned 31 years old in February
- He reportedly wants to play in either California or Las Vegas
Now, the Vikings might be able to overcome the idea of Vea playing out west, with the biggest being a new contract. It’s not a surprise that Vea wants to cash in, especially after we’ve seen other defensive tackles in recent weeks.
What would Vea fetch? Making him the highest-paid nose tackle isn’t out of the question, which would pay Vea $28 million or more, as that’s what Dexter Lawrence makes with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jordan Davis makes $26 million on his new extension and Derrick Brown is netting $24 million. The one difficulty for Vea getting that contract is his age. How long is he going to last? Will his play keep up with his salary? Those are the questions that the Buccaneers are trying to maneuver through.
For Teasley, it’s a layered question. How much would he be willing to pay a player like Vea, and what package of draft picks would you have to give the Buccaneers to acquire him? The starting point seems to be a second-round and fifth-round picks.
If the Vikings were to swing a trade for Vea, giving up two draft picks in the next two classes, especially with the overall talent in the next draft class, would be a poor decision. Plus, the Vikings are still looking for answers at quarterback. If neither Kyler Murray nor J.J. McCarthy works out, they will need to find the next quarterback, which could be in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Now, if Teasley did swing the move, it would be expensive. Should they do it? No, but this is the likely cost if they do.
Projected trade and contract: Vikings sent the Buccaneers 2027 second-round pick and 2028 fifth-round pick for Vita Vea, and give him a three-year, $84 million extension, totaling four years, $102 million.
