Vikings Trade Candidates: Players Likely Moved on NFL Draft Weekend

With former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah no longer with the team—he traded like a fiend—the Minnesota Vikings presumably won’t make as many trades, but it’s still possible that a deal may be made during the April draft. The Vikings players who are most likely to be dealt are listed below.

When the board in Pittsburgh begins to move, Minnesota has a few names to keep an eye on.

Big names make up the majority of the group, which is rated in ascending order of likelihood (No. 1 = players most likely to be moved via trade).

Four Vikings Whose Names Could Surface during Draft Weekend for Trades

The Vikings’ list of trade candidates for 2026.

Theo Jackson (S)

Is a deal for Jackson too likely? No, primarily because there might not be much of a market for him. In general NFL terms, he is quite anonymous.

But for the moment, let’s say that every mock draft that is currently circulating online is accurate, and Minnesota selects Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round. Jackson, Thieneman, Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, and potentially Harrison Smith would all be part of the team’s roster. Sending Jackson to a different team in exchange for a sixth or seventh-round pick would make sense because he might become expendable.

Jackson’s deal is reasonable, and he is reasonably productive.

Jordan Addison (WR)

Addison is practically tradeable for two reasons: a) he will ask for a huge contract extension in the upcoming year; and b) he has too many off-field shenanigans.

These incidents have dogged the 24-year-old after the Vikings selected him in the 2023 draft:

Driving 140 mph in a 55 mph zone led to an arrest in 2023; the offense was later classified as a misdemeanor.

In 2024, he was arrested for drinking while dozing off on a Los Angeles freeway; he later admitted pleas to a “wet reckless” charge and was suspended for three games.

skipped a team walkthrough in London in 2025 and was benched by the Vikings for a quarter.

Trespassing at a casino led to an arrest in 2026; the charger was later dropped

It never stops. In a hypothetical scenario, Minnesota trades Addison to a team in need of a wide receiver in the draft in exchange for a second or third-round choice before the extension bill is due.

J.J. McCarthy (QB)

This summer, Minnesota has re-upped with Carson Wentz, who is expected to compete for the Vikings’ QB2 position, ousted the man who drafted McCarthy, and signed Kyler Murray as his direct QB1 successor. McCarthy has had a terrible offseason. Absolutely awful.

According to some, Kevin O’Connell simply compromised for McCarthy and would have wanted a quarterback like Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, or Drake Maye. This is known as the “Adofo-Mensah draft pick.” If those speculations are correct, Minnesota might put an early end to McCarthy’s career by offering him the equivalent of a fourth-round pick in front of a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Arizona Cardinals.

McCarthy is still only 23, so the Vikings don’t need to move him. However, it appears that they are no longer optimistic about his future. Murray would not exist as a potential QB1 if they loved him.

Jonathan Greenard (OLB)

Sadly, it feels realistic, so this one is for all the marbles.

In Green Bay, Micah Parsons makes $47 million a season. In Detroit, Aidan Hutchinson earns $45 million a year. Greenard? In Minnesota, $19 million. He desires a pay increase. The player who recorded three sacks in 12 games last season may need to be traded if the Vikings are unable to pay him a substantial raise, perhaps over $35 million annually.

Jonathan Harrison of SI.com played down the likelihood of a Greenard trade this week, saying, “The addition of Kyler Murray is another reason why the Vikings are likely to be a little harder to negotiate with on trading Greenard.” The Vikings see themselves as an NFC contender after acquiring Murray. Then why would they give away one of their top defensive players?

“Dealing a star pass rusher wouldn’t make much sense for a team hoping to compete at the top of the conference.” Therefore, after signing Murray, the Vikings would undoubtedly need to be blown away by an offer for Greenard.

The most obvious trade partners are the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. Strangely, despite the smoke of a trade billowing for two weeks, no deal has been achieved.

In the event that Greenard is eventually dealt, it might happen during the draft, in which case Minnesota might need to select another EDGE rusher.

Most people think that in order to get Greenard to leave, the Vikings are requesting a second-round pick.