The Minnesota Vikings (5-0) got to sit back this weekend during their bye and watch 28 teams with worse winning percentages beat each other up.
The downtime is beneficial for an offense that has battled injuries to several of its key players this season. Wide receiver Jordan Addison missed multiple games with a sprained ankle, while tight end T.J. Hockenson has yet to return from a knee injury he sustained late last year.
Running back Aaron Jones also left the team's Week 5 contest against the New York Jets in London with a hip issue and is week-to-week.
Beyond the healing opportunities for those crucial players is extra time for the coaching staff and front office to consider the organization's surprising (likely even to them) undefeated start and what moves they can make ahead of the trade deadline to improve the roster and/or protect against future injury concerns.
Akbar Gbajabiamila of the NFL Network, who played in the league for four years in the mid-2000s, suggested a trade for Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns during an episode of "Good Morning Football" last week.
"This is obviously a great run for the Minnesota Vikings, but they've got T.J. Hockenson coming back, and you start thinking like, what could they do? They could add some depth," Gbajabiamila said. "How about going out [and maybe looking] for an Amari Cooper who's on a struggling Browns team? ... Now, all of a sudden, you've got guys who can, you know when home field advantage comes around, they're making it deep, deep, deep and going in and winning -- maybe, potentially -- a Super Bowl."
Cooper may not be a necessity for a team like the Vikings, which has a potent trio of pass catchers in Justin Jefferson, Addison and Hockenson when healthy -- not to mention a quality fourth option in Jalen Nailor who has had something of a coming out party early in his third season with 8 catches on 13 targets for 137 yards and 3 TDs.
However, Cleveland restructured the final season of Cooper's $100 million deal to make his contract tradable ahead of the November 5 deadline. By converting nearly $19 million of his salary into a signing bonus, Cooper is technically earning the league minimum of $1.2 million when it comes to the salary cap hit he represents to any team that might trade for him.
That means the only real cost for Cooper is likely to be something in the neighborhood of a fifth-round pick, give or take a round. The Browns acquired the receiver in a deal with the Dallas Cowboys in March 2022 for a fifth-rounder and a sixth-round pick swap.
And while that type of draft asset is a substantial price to pay for what would be, more or less, a half-season rental -- it's the kind of move that could solidify a depth of extreme quality for quarterback Sam Darnold if the Vikings are serious about a Super Bowl run in 2024.
