Minnesota Vikings want to trade for one of the best players in the NFL and he won't come cheaply
Naturally, Kirk Cousins is the center of conversation when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings' plans for free agency, but there are a couple of other premium positions facing questions, as well.One such position is cornerback, where the Vikings sorely need not just a reliable starter opposite Byron Murphy Jr., but solid depth, as well. […]
Naturally, Kirk Cousins is the center of conversation when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings' plans for free agency, but there are a couple of other premium positions facing questions, as well.
One such position is cornerback, where the Vikings sorely need not just a reliable starter opposite Byron Murphy Jr., but solid depth, as well. The Vikings secondary was hit, hard, by injuries last year and the unit simply couldn't hang on over the final few weeks of the season.
According to USA Today, the Vikings have expressed interest in trading for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback, L'Jarius Sneed, who was recently hit with the franchise tag. Sneed has developed into one of the NFL's best cornerbacks over the last couple of years and six other teams, outside the Vikings, have also expressed interest: the Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sneed would be a good fit in Brian Flores' defense
Flores moved to a zone defense last year and Sneed has shown he can lock receivers down in zone. He's also a very good man corner, as well. So, Flores would get the best of both worlds.
The biggest factor here is cost. We project Sneed to ink a deal worth $19 million per year when it's all said and done. It would be malpractice for the Vikings to trade for him and not sign him to a long-term deal, so the expectation would be a big-time contract for the two-time Super Bowl champ.
Plus, Sneed has yet to sign the franchise tender. Therefore, the Vikings would have to send the Chiefs two first-rounders if they were to officialize a trade before he signs. The trade compensation would simply be worked out between the two parties if a trade happens after he signs, like Yannick Ngakoue and the Vikings deal a few years ago.
And, just to come full circle with Cousins – the key to unlocking this would be keeping him around. The Vikings will receive $28.5 million, minus his first year cap hit, in cap space by keeping Cousins in town. But, only time will tell when it comes to that, obviously.
