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Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors

Vikings Not Looking To Trade Kirk Cousins; Jets Have Not Inquired About QB

October 1st, 2023 at 10:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

After an 0-3 start to the season, many named the Vikings as a potential seller in advance of the 2023 trade deadline. Quarterback Kirk Cousins would be a notable trade chip in such a scenario, but that is not the case at this point.

[RELATED: 49ers Were Willing To Trade No. 2 Pick For Cousins In 2017]

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports the Vikings “have no plans” of trading the 35-year-old (subscription required). Cousins’ future in Minnesota has been in question throughout the offseason, since 2023 marks the final year of his contract. Talks on a new deal are expected to take place after the season, and he has acknowledged his play this year will go a long way in determining his free agent value on a new Vikings pact or one in a new home.

Optimism has been expressed on both sides that another short-term arrangement can be made. Cousins has played on a fully-guaranteed three-year, $84MM pact after joining the team in free agency, as well as a two-year, $66MM extension. He will make $30MM this season as a result of the restructured deal which has him on track for free agency. As a rental, there would no doubt be a number teams interested in adding him.

One of those would be the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets, of course. As Russini notes, however, New York has not called Minnesota about Cousins’ availability, and it is unlikely that will change any time soon. The Jets have signed Trevor Siemian to serve as another veteran option behind much-maligned starter Zach Wilson, but no further moves under center are expected. That increases the chances of Cousins staying put through the remainder of the campaign.

The Vikings as a whole are not committed to a seller status ahead of the deadline, meaning a number of other veterans will likely not be on the trade block in the coming weeks (at least barring a continuation of their early losing streak). Cousins – who has posted the most passing yards (1,075) and touchdowns (nine) through three games this season – is safe in Minnesota for the time being, and it will be worth watching if he can help guide the team to a rebound in October. His absence from the trade market would also no doubt have a number of effects on the rest of the league as teams begin to evaluate if they will be aggressive in pursuing help in the near future.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/23

September 30th, 2023 at 8:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves ahead of tomorrow’s slate of Week 4 games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Walker’s elevation comes amidst a degree of uncertainty regarding Deshaun Watson‘s Sunday availability. The latter is dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has expressed confidence he will be able to suit up. In the event he is unable to play, though, Walker will provide insurance under center. NFL Network’s James Palmer reports Watson will be a game-time decision.

Chosen, formerly Robbie Anderson, made his Dolphins debut in Week 3, scoring a 68-yard touchdown on his only catch. His performance – along with other depth wideouts currently being sidelined for Miami – will give the 30-year-old a longer look with his new team.

Gore’s elevation will give him the chance to see regular season game action for the first time since 2021. The former UDFA recorded 361 scrimmage yards with the Chiefs that season, but a subsequent IR stint marked the end of his time in Kansas City. Gore has since spent time on the Saints’, and now Commanders’, taxi squads. Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes that fellow depth back Chris Rodriguez has bee ruled out with an illness, opening the door to Gore seeing limited snaps.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/23

September 27th, 2023 at 6:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: WR Chris Blair

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Gaskin was released from the Vikings’ active roster yesterday, a likely result of the addition of former Rams rusher Cam Akers. It looks like he’ll remain in Minnesota, though, for the time being as a member of the team’s 16-man practice squad.

Sorensen, the nine-year veteran formerly of Kansas City, is back for a second year in New Orleans. Last year, Sorensen appeared in all 17 games for the Saints, making two starts. He recorded two interceptions, three passes defensed, and 17 tackles, including eight stops on special teams.

Bears Add CB Joejuan Williams Off Vikings’ Practice Squad

September 27th, 2023 at 9:52am CST by Sam Robinson

Intra-divisional practice squad poaching has taken off this week. After two such transactions transpired in the NFC South on Tuesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the Bears are adding a Vikings P-squad defender.

Cornerback Joejuan Williams will head from Minneapolis to Chicago, with the Bears signing the cornerback off the Vikings’ taxi squad Wednesday morning. This will help a Bears team depleted at corner. The Bears have since announced the move.

Chicago is down Kyler Gordon, who headed to IR with a broken hand, and saw fellow starters Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson leave the team’s Week 3 matchup. Stevenson entered concussion protocol during the Chiefs’ runaway win, while Johnson left the game due to a hamstring injury.

Williams appears likely to see his first game action since 2021. The former Patriots second-rounder signed with the Vikings in April but could not make their 53-man roster. Minnesota did extend a P-squad invite shortly after waiving Williams, who was pushing for a roster spot during training camp. A desperate Bears team will take a look.

The Falcons added Storm Norton off the Saints’ P-squad, and the Saints signed quarterback Jake Luton off the Panthers’ 16-man unit. Like Norton and Luton, Williams must remain on his new team’s active roster for at least three weeks.

A 6-foot-3 cover man out of Vanderbilt, Williams went to the Patriots at No. 45 overall in 2019. Joining the then-defending Super Bowl champions, Williams could not carve out a notable role during his time in New England. He played a career-high 254 defensive snaps for the 2021 Pats but has just one start on his resume. Williams, 25, spent the 2022 season on IR due to a summer shoulder injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/23

September 26th, 2023 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Chargers officially placed Mike Williams on injured reserve today, opening a roster spot. The front office didn’t take long filling his spot on the depth chart, snagging receiver Simi Fehoko from Pittsburgh’s practice squad. The former fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he hauled in three catches in 10 games. The Stanford product also had a significant role on special teams during his time in Dallas.

Roy Lopez looked to be entrenched in Houston’s defense for the foreseeable future, with the former sixth-round pick starting 29 of his 33 appearances between 2021 and 2022. However, after collecting only 67 tackles and two sacks across those two seasons, he was waived/injured by the Texans at the end of the preseason. The defensive lineman caught on with Arizona’s practice squad late last week.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Addresses Turnover Issues

September 26th, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings sit at 0-3 in large part due to the team’s struggles with ball security. Minnesota leads the league in turnovers, and lineup changes could be coming soon as a result.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown a pair of interceptions – including one in the end zone in the losing stages of Sunday’s loss to the the Chargers – but the more troubling early trend has been the Vikings’ league-leading seven fumbles. Head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted he altered the team’s practice routine in the build-up to Week 3, but ball security remains an issue. In the aftermath of that contest, he issued a warning that players could find themselves on the bench in the near future.

“I think that’s something we’re going to fix one way or the other,” O’Connell said of the fumbling problems, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “Either guys are going to [fix] it or we’re going to have to put other guys in the game that have ball security.”

Running back Alexander Mattison has been among the players who have lost a number of fumbles (although only one so far has resulted in a change of possession). The 25-year-old assumed lead back duties in the wake of Dalvin Cook‘s release, and he is currently averaging a career-high 13 carries per game. Mattison has recorded 155 scoreless yards on the ground, along with one touchdown in the passing game.

Minnesota’s struggles on the ground made it little surprise that the team added Cam Akers via trade. In spite of his arrival, Mattison has received a vote of confidence as the Vikings’ lead back, though Akers did not suit up in Week 3. The latter will however be involved in the team’s game plan for Week 4, Seifert notes. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings divvy up their RB snaps, particularly if ball security remains an issue.

Aside from Mattison, other skill position players could now be on notice in advance of Minnesota’s game against Carolina. That matchup of winless teams will be important in the NFC standings, but it could also play a part in dictating playing time moving forward in the Vikings’ case.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/23

September 23rd, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the various practice squad elevations and other minor moves from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Signed to active roster: LB Sam Eguaveon
  • Elevated: OL Chris Glaser

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Latest On Vikings’ RB Room

September 22nd, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Cam Akers‘ time in Los Angeles came to an expected end earlier this week when he was dealt to Minnesota. The move has led to questions about the Vikings’ pecking order at the running back spot, but the team’s depth chart appears set to remain the same at the top.

Alexander Mattison took over RB1 duties this offseason when the Vikings released Dalvin Cook, but that move has not yielded success on the ground to date. Minnesota has the league’s least productive run game through Week 2, having totaled just 69 rushing yards. Mattison’s inefficiency is among the causes for that figure, but he is safe in his role as starter even with Akers in the fold.

“We haven’t lost confidence in Alex Mattison,” Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “I will say that. Unfortunately we’ve had a couple turnovers in the run game where we obviously need to clean that up. Everyone’s aware of that. But we still feel very strongly in Alex and [backup Ty Chandler] and those guys being able to go in and produce. We know we have to be better in the run game. A lot of that starts with us, and the players fundamentally. All those things we’ve addressed, and… I think it will improve dramatically.”

Phillips and head coach Kevin O’Connell are among the Vikings staffers with ties to Akers dating back to their shared time with the Rams. That level of familiarity should help the latter’s acclimation period with his new team, one which figures to use him in a rotational capacity early on. Expectations will be tempered considering the fact Minnesota only needed to swap future Day 3 picks to acquire Akers, but a strong showing in the coming weeks would help his free agent stock considerably ahead of the offseason.

It would also give the team another option in the run game aside from Mattison, whom Seifert notes does not expect to see his role changed with Akers now in the picture. Improvement on the ground in any capacity would be welcomed for the 0-2 Vikings, but it will be interesting to see how the backfield is managed with a former second-round pick (who started 15 of his 30 Rams contests) in place. For now, at least, Mattison is safe atop the RB depth chart.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/23

September 21st, 2023 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

The Bears released Peterman on Wednesday, but Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes the team was planning to use the roster spot to poach a player off a another team’s practice squad. Chicago’s effort did not produce a signing, however, leaving Peterman’s spot vacant. When a team makes an effort to sign a player off another club’s P-squad, the team can promote the player to its 53-man roster to keep him from being poached. The seventh-year QB, who is in his second season with the Bears, again give the team three active-roster QBs — along with Justin Fields and rookie Tyson Bagent.

Rams Trade RB Cam Akers To Vikings

September 21st, 2023 at 12:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 21: For the conditions to be met, Akers must combine for 500 yards from scrimmage with the Vikings, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. In Akers’ two healthy seasons, he has hit 748 and 903 scrimmage yards, respectively.

SEPTEMBER 20: The off-and-on Rams-Cam Akers drama will come to an end Wednesday. The Rams found a taker for Akers, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who reports the Vikings will acquire the fourth-year running back.

Minnesota and Los Angeles will swap late-round 2026 draft choices, Pelissero adds. Given Akers’ inconsistent history, it was always unlikely the Rams would obtain much for him. But the Vikings will take a flier on the former second-round pick.

The Vikings will send Los Angeles a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026. In exchange, the Rams will send Minnesota Akers and a 2026 conditional seventh-rounder, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Terms on the conditions of each pick have not yet been released, but with nearly three full seasons in between now and then, there are a vast number of possibilities for what might alter these picks.

For an in-season trade, this presents the opportunity for a smooth Akers transition. Kevin O’Connell served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator during Akers’ first two NFL seasons, and Vikings OC Wes Phillips was also in L.A. during that span. Akers will join a Vikings backfield transitioning from Dalvin Cook‘s six-year tenure, leaving the Rams with their now-Kyren Williams-fronted setup behind Matthew Stafford.

The tumultuous Rams-Akers relationship reached the point of no return Sunday, when the team deactivated the former starter for its Week 2 game. Akers, 24, expressed confusion at the move, but he and Sean McVay had not seen eye to eye for periods over the past year. McVay indicated a trade was likely.

Despite opening each of the past two Rams seasons as the starting running back, Akers found himself a healthy scratch each year. Los Angeles scratched Akers for Week 6 last season, as trade rumors swirled. While the team held onto Akers after negotiating with teams ahead of last year’s trade deadline, the Vikings are now responsible for the last year of his rookie deal.

It does not appear the Rams would have settled for his level of trade compensation last year, when they rejected trade offers, but the minimal return points to the Rams being prepared to accept just about anything to end this relationship. The Browns, Buccaneers, Raiders and Ravens were mentioned as interested parties. The Browns took themselves out of the running Wednesday morning, when they reunited with Kareem Hunt. Although McVay disciples are in HC posts elsewhere — Matt LaFleur, Brandon Staley, Zac Taylor — the Vikings make the most sense from a familiarity standpoint due to O’Connell having coached Akers as OC.

While 2026 late-round draft choices effectively indicate how little trade value Akers brought, he has produced promising stretches during an inconsistent career. The Rams turned to the Florida State product late in the 2020 season, and the then-rookie ripped off a 171-yard showing against the Patriots. Akers then amassed 131 rushing yards to help the Rams upset the Seahawks in the 2020 wild-card round. After last year’s spate of hiccups, Akers regrouped to close the season with three straight 100-yard performances. While seldom used as a receiver, Akers has enjoyed productive periods as a ball-carrier.

Of course, Akers also suffered an Achilles tear in July 2021. This prompted the Rams to trade for Sony Michel. While Akers made a surprising return in time for Week 18 and suited up for the Rams in the playoffs, he did not regain his previous form. As the Rams’ O-line deteriorated last season, Akers struggled, leading to the disagreement with McVay. He opened this year with a wildly ineffective 22-carry, 29-yard showing in Seattle, ceding the key backfield touches to Williams, a 2022 fifth-round pick who has seized command for the retooling Rams.

The Vikings turned to longtime Cook backup Alexander Mattison this offseason, opting not to bring in another veteran to supplement the career-long RB2. Mattison, 25, is off to a slow start. The fifth-year back is averaging 3.3 yards per carry; in Week 2, he lost a fumble in what turned out to be a one-score loss to the Eagles. Overall, Minnesota has gained an NFL-low 69 rushing yards. Mattison should still be expected to lead the way in Minnesota, but Akers represents competition. The Vikes roster 2022 fifth-rounder Ty Chandler and late-summer pickup Myles Gaskin behind Mattison.

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