The Broncos and Vikings agreed on a trade Saturday, one that will send Stephen Weatherly to Denver. The Vikings are trading the veteran edge defender to the Broncos in a deal that will see the teams swap seventh-round picks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Weatherly and a 2023 seventh-rounder will go to Denver, which is sending a 2022 seventh to Minnesota. This will reunite Weatherly with new Broncos GM George Paton, who was with the Vikings when they drafted the sixth-year vet back in 2016. Weatherly sought a trade, according to Pelissero (on Twitter), and the Vikings obliged for low-level compensation.
This move will give the Broncos some much-needed depth. Denver finished its Thursday game without all four of its starting linebackers. Von Miller avoided serious injury, but the team is still without Bradley Chubb for an extended stretch. Malik Reed and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper served as the Broncos’ primary edge rushers in Thursday’s 17-14 loss to the Browns.
Weatherly, 27, has played less than 20% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in each of their past four games. He has served as a key special-teamer for the Vikings and started nine games for the Panthers in 2020. The Broncos are decimated at linebacker, having lost both starters and special-teamers, so Weatherly will likely be plugged in on special teams soon with his new squad.
The Panthers signed Weatherly to a two-year, $12.5MM deal in March 2020 but cut bait after one season. The Vikings brought him back this year. Less than $1MM remains on Weatherly’s contract, which runs through season’s end. The Broncos are not exactly up against the cap, however, holding more than $15MM in space.
To clear a roster spot, the Broncos moved linebacker Micah Kiser to IR. The former Rams ILB starter suffered a groin injury during the Broncos’ Thursday tilt. Vic Fangio said the Broncos are looking for help at this position as well.
Not sure what Minn gets out of this? They swapped 7th rounders….
They got a 2022 7th rounder (equivalent to a 2023 6th rounder) for a 2023 7th rounder. So Weatherly was basically worth the difference between a 2023 6th rounder and a 2023 7th rounder.
I feel like the Vikings did this just for weatherly’s sake, and to open a roster spot for another move
There’s speculation they might try to trade for a veteran CB depending on how well Breeland, Dantzler, Boyd and Hand do this week, and with Patrick Peterson on IR for at least three games, and likely more.
The Vikings eliminate a negative influence on their team and in their clubhouse by moving on from a player who has not “worked out” for two different teams (Vikings & Panthers) and has “Weatherly sought a trade” sought to be somewhere else. Spielman was also able to make points with his former AGM by making this move at minimal cost to either team while supplying Denver with a familiar player who could be utilized in a variety of ways: ST, LB, DE. Now Paton “owes” Spielman ONE.
There is zero evidence that Weatherly was actually a “negative influence” on the team or in their clubhouse, at least in the generally accepted meaning of that phrase. He was a player who didn’t live up to their hopes with his play on the field, but he was no clubhouse cancer or twitter troublemaker.
Arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? Broncos won’t win another game this year, thus this move is nonsensical.
Since you’re such a great prognosticator, I assume you’re gonna make millions in the betting game, right?
I will say yes swapping 7ths is obviously going to be a non-impact player, but you need warm bodies every week and Denver got one of those for nothing so it’s not a bad move for them.
I’m not sure how Weatherly will transition to a standing role as an outside linebacker, but I gather something about Payton’s history with him is what preempted this move. Fangio just needs someone to play, given the glut of injuries Denver’s had.
He apparently played OLB in college, but that’s six years ago, at least.
Were the Vikings gonna release him otherwise??? Not really getting anything much in return. Watch the Vikings pick end up better than the Bronco pick…..be about right for the Vikes.
He had to take a $500,000 salary cut just before the season to avoid being released outright. This trade probably helps him out financially since he’s still paid above vet minimum, while giving the Vikes a million or so bucks in cap relief. It also gives him a chance to get some more snaps in, while allowing the Vikes to get a look at one of their rookie 3rd rounders, Patrick Jones.