Minnesota Vikings’ disastrous performance after bye week could shift focus toward building around J.J. McCarthy at 2025 NFL trade deadline

The options to trade away for the Vikings are not plentiful.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looks on before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The season is slowly getting out of control for head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings.

Thursday night was the latest example of the Vikings playing extremely poor football, losing to the Los Angeles Chargers 37-10 and marking the second-consecutive season O’Connell’s team has come out of the bye week with consecutive losses. It’s a problem that they are coming out so flat, but it’s a sign of a bigger problem.

We went into this season knowing that this could be a developmental season for J.J. McCarthy, but instead, we have seen five starts of Carson Wentz, where things haven’t been great.

This has led to the Vikings potentially being sellers at the trade deadline, and that could be determined as such with a loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 9. Who could the Vikings potentially trade away for future assets? Let’s be real, they don’t really have anyone with the classic expiring contract. They are in a position where they need to stand pat and figure it out, especially because the future of J.J. McCarthy should be the sole focus. However, the right offer could prompt general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to potentially make a move.

Minnesota Vikings trade deadline candidates

DT Javon Hargrave

  • 2025 cap hit: $7,884,853
  • 2025 cap savings: $2.005 million prorated
  • 2026 dead cap: $6,497,500
  • 2026 cap savings: $15 million

Over the past two weeks, it’s become obvious that Hargrave has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff, mainly due to his struggles in the running game. He played just 22 of 72 possible snaps throughout the game, with 14 of those coming on pass rush downs. He got one pressure and didn’t have much of an impact on the game.

However rough things are against the run, he’s successful against the pass, and can still win one-on-one situations when rushing the passer. Find a team that needs a gap-shooting 3T and the Vikings could potentially offload a lot of salary cap savings, and the $4 million in guaranteed salary that he is due in 2026.

Projected Compensation: Day three pick

TE T.J. Hockenson

  • 2025 cap hit: $16,649,118
  • 2025 cap savings: $11.4 million prorated
  • 2026 dead cap: $12.425
  • 2026 cap savings: $8.93

Hockenson has become a controversial figure among Vikings fans. They have used him in a way that’s not ideal for his skill set due to the issues at quarterback and the offensive line. It’s been a tough one to parse out, and it’s been a major hindrance to his production.

Let’s not get it twisted, Hockenson is still just as good as he was prior to having his role adjusted. He can still be a vertical passing threat and dominate on choice routes over the middle of the field. If a team in the playoff hunt needs that reliable player, it could be a huge benefit in a playoff push. I don’t believe that it’s in the best interest of the Vikings to make this move, but they would clear $34 million of cash off the books by moving him.

Projected Compensation: Third round pick + day 3 pick

WR Jordan Addison

  • 2025 cap hit: $3,478,629
  • 2025 cap savings: $1,598,340 million prorated
  • 2026 dead cap: $1,746,679
  • 2026 cap savings: $2,622,510

Trading Addison is something we wrote about earlier this week because teams are looking to trade for an impact wide receiver. It’s a tough one for the Vikings to want to move on from Addison, especially since he’s been one of the more productive wide receivers in the NFL this season.

The reason for trading away Addison would be due to the Vikings not wanting to extend him due to the off-the-field issues he’s had so far. It’s not great that we’ve had to deal with this with Addison, but none of the issues he’s had should disqualify him from getting the extension that his play has certainly earned him. Moving him would be due to not wanting to extend him, and it would take a massive deal to get it done, and it’s arguably a terrible idea in itself. The reality about this potential move, the same as with Hockenson, is that neither helps the future of McCarthy.

Projected Compensation: First round pick and fourth round pick

DT Jonathan Allen

  • 2025 cap hit: $6,421,666
  • 2025 cap savings: $2.005 million prorated
  • 2026 dead cap: $9,333,334
  • 2026 cap savings: $12,283,332

This would be a move the Vikings only make if they get a godfather offer from a team that needs a 3T for the playoff run. While Allen is 30 years old, they signed him to be on the team for a few years and anchor a position that they sorely needed. He’s been a solid player this year, and one that doesn’t make a ton of sense to make.

However, if someone offered the Vikings a third-round pick plus a little extra, it would be an interesting move to discuss.

Projected Compensation: Third-round pick plus

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