Vikings desperation at quarterback is sending up big red flags

After losing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons via free agency this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings are firmly in the market to find his replacement in the 2024 NFL Draft, almost to a fault.

The Vikings are desperately searching for their next franchise signal-caller and reportedly have eyes for UNC's Drake Maye, who is a near lock to be one of the top four picks of the draft. But they boast the No. 11 selection and will have to pay a steep price to trade up, making it feel like a pipe dream. 

Minnesota will be hard-pressed to move up to land Maye, especially considering other quarterback-needy teams like the New York Giants have documented interest in the UNC product. Recent comments from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network during a podcast appearance on the "Dan Patrick Show" indicate the Vikings understand that to a point where they are ready to go out on a limb to do something that could come back to haunt them if they miss out on him and the other consensus top-four quarterbacks (USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy of Michigan).

The latest Vikings draft rumor reeks of desperation as they search for their next QB

Pelissero tells Patrick he projects six quarterbacks to be taken in Round 1 of the draft, emphasizing that there are "more teams right now that need quarterbacks than are quarterbacks to be taken," spurring the Vikings to reach on a Day 2 prospect in the first round should their attempt to move up the draft board for Maye fail.

That wasn't the only noteworthy tidbit from Pelissero's remarks. He suggested the Vikings could spend their second first-round pick on Oregon's Bo Nix if they do not end up with Maye.

"Let's say you're the Vikings and you get shut out, you can't trade up... you might think 'Great. We have not just No. 11, but we got No. 23,' Pelissero ponders. "Bo Nix might be there. And then the question is: 'Are you worried about a threat from a team like the Rams, whose general manager Les Snead played with Bo Nix's dad and has known him forever, and Matthew Stafford's toward the end? Do you feel like we need to get ahead?'" 

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is allegedly on the hottest of seats entering the 2024 season and appears unwilling to put his faith in veteran journeyman Sam Darnold, who signed as a free this offseason, to fill the void left by Cousins. So, reaching on a quarterback like Nix should they miss out on their preferred target(s) could be the next-best option, albeit a questionable decision.