What is the Minnesota Vikings’ worst trade in the previous ten years?

What about the Sam Bradford deal? Trading for Yannick Ngakoue? Kwesi’s 20-spot shift in 2022? Let’s take a look back at some disastrous Vikings moves.

Here’s an intriguing offseason inquiry. What is the Vikings’ worst trade in the past ten years?

This has sparked a discussion on social media, following a recent Bleacher Report story that identified the worst trades of the last decade for all 32 NFL teams. The author chose the 2016 deal in which the Vikings sent a first-round choice to the Eagles in exchange for Sam Bradford.

The prevailing feeling among Vikings fans, which I agree with, is that there are many worse transactions than that one. The 2016 Vikings were coming off an NFC North title and needed a starting quarterback after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a serious knee injury in training camp. So then-GM Rick Spielman traded for Bradford, more out of necessity than anything else. The rest of the roster was prepared to compete. A move has to be made.

Bradford performed reasonably well in 2016, but the Vikings faltered after a 5-0 start and missed the playoffs at 8-8. He then annihilated the Saints in Week 1 of the next season before being injured — and we all know what Case Keenum and company did afterwards.

Bradford could have done well for the Vikings if the offensive line had been more consistent and healthy. Not having a first-round pick in 2017 was unfortunate, but second-rounder Dalvin Cook performed admirably, while the Vikings mostly squandered their first-round picks in 2016 (Laquon Treadwell) and 2018 (Mike Hughes). That transaction may not even be considered among the franchise’s worst deals since 2016.

Here are a few more egregious examples:

Trade for Yannick Ngakoue (2020)
A worse desperation transaction by Spielman occurred in 2020, when he acquired pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Jaguars amid concerns that Danielle Hunter would miss the season due to a neck ailment. The Vikings traded a second- and fifth-round pick to Jacksonville for Ngakoue, who struggled on their defensive line despite five sacks in the first six games of the season.

Less than two months later, with the Vikings at 1-5, Spielman admitted his mistake and traded Ngakoue, a pending free agent, to the Ravens for a third-round pick and a fifth. The outcome was a 45-spot drop on Day 2 in exchange for six games from Ngakoue in a lost season.

Kwesi’s significant advance down the board (2022)

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who took over for Spielman in 2022, has mainly performed admirably in the role, earning a multi-year contract extension this week. However, his first big move didn’t age well. Adofo-Mensah traded the Lions the 12th and 46th overall picks in the 2022 draft for picks 32, 34, and 66. It was a startling move against a division foe. And even if the chart-based value was correct, it appears cruel in retrospect.

The Vikings passed on Kyle Hamilton and Trent McDuffie in favor of Lewis Cine, who was drafted at number 32. In moving up to 12, the Lions acquired Jameson Williams, who had 1,000 yards last season and appears to be an important component of their current and future plans. That entire draft was a nightmare for Adofo-Mensah, who has subsequently conceded that he may have attempted to accomplish too much at once.

Trading for Chris Herndon (2021).
This was another desperate trade by Spielman in his final year as Vikings general manager. With starting tight end Irv Smith Jr. scheduled for season-ending surgery, the Vikings traded Herndon and a sixth-round pick to the Jets in 2022. It did not function at all. Herndon played fewer than 200 snaps that season, caught only four catches, and committed two harsh penalties in a Week 5 game against the Lions.

Trading with Kaare Vedvik (2019)
Here’s another Spielman desperation move for good measure. Remember the name Kaare Vedvik? In August 2019, the Vikings acquired him as a punter/kicker hybrid in exchange for a fifth-round pick. He was released three weeks later and played in only one regular-season NFL game (for the Jets) during his career.

I would say that all four are worse than the Bradford deal.