3 unexpected NFL teams who should absolutely tank for Caleb Williams

Few NFL prospects have generated as much hype about their arrival in the league as USC's Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Scouts have ordained Williams as not only the top choice in April's draft if he leaves school but arguably the top quarterback prospect to leave college since Andrew Luck.

At the beginning of the year, most assumed the Arizona Cardinals would be a lock to land Williams, but they have proven to be more competitive than expected and already have one win on the board. If the Cardinals aren't going to take advantage of the opportunity to land Williams, an opportunity has emerged for 3 NFL teams off to surprisingly slow starts to pivot toward a franchise-altering tank.

3. Minnesota Vikings

No one expected the Vikings to be as good as their 13-4 2022 campaign, but a 1-3 start to 2023 has raised the tanking question for Minnesota. Games against Kansas City Sunday and San Francisco in Week 7 could have the Vikings in a 2-5 hole at the trade deadline, which would lead to a possibility of shopping Kirk Cousins while looking to go in the tank for Williams.

Taking advantage of a team in need of quarterback help right now, such as the New York Jets, would allow the Vikings to make a clean pivot from paying Cousins a ton of money and trying to win with a potential generational quarterback on his rookie contract. Handing Williams a receiving corps headlined by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison would be an incredible start to his pro career while the cap savings from a rookie contract would allow the Vikings to fortify their defense.

It would definitely be painful for Minnesota to give up on this season, especially since the NFC is the weaker conference, but the Vikings have been a close-but-no-cigar organization for a while. Taking some short-term pain for a massive long-term gain has to be a consideration for Minnesota's front office.