Vikings conspiracy theory points to Cooper Kupp teaming up with Justin Jefferson

The Minnesota Vikings are 5-1 after Sunday's heartbreaking loss to the Detroit Lions. The NFC North is by far the strongest division in the NFL this season. The last-place Chicago Bears are 4-2 and No. 1 pick Caleb Williams is starting to ball out. If Minnesota wants to maintain its grip on the division and potentially the NFC at large, a trade could be in order.

There is every reason for the Vikings front office to operate aggressively. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should have a greenlight to improve this roster with such a clear path to championship contention. Whatever your feelings on Sam Darnold are relative to other great NFL quarterbacks, this Vikings offense has outpaced most of the league to date. The Vikings' playmaking talent is pretty much unmatched in NFC circles, and Kevin O'Connell is the runaway favorite to win Coach of the Year for a reason.

Minnesota should probably focus its resources on the defense, but it's always fun to think up new offensive combinations. Minnesota has no shortage of quality pass-catchers in Darnold's orbit, but the reported availability of a former KOC collaborator has ignited new trade rumors for Minnesota.

The Los Angeles Rams are reportedly willing to trade Cooper Kupp, and even eat some of his $28.9 million contract to get a deal across the finish line. That's still a lot, but with Sam Darnold on an ultra-cheap contract, the Vikings can potentially afford to splurge on the 2021 Super Bowl MVP.

Kupp and O'Connell once worked together in LA, and the fit next to Justin Jefferson is seamless. Think of him as supercharged Adam Thielen. That leads to this conspiracy theory from Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke.

Vikings are a fun landing spot for Rams trade candidate Cooper Kupp, but don't get your hopes up

The Vikings battle the Rams on Thursday Night Football, so there's no way this hypothetical trade goes through before the game. All bets are off once the final buzzer sounds, though. The trade deadline is coming around the corner on Nov. 5, so trade talks would need to pick up quickly — if there isn't already a handshake, below-the-counter deal in place.

Now, is this likely? Probably not. Kupp's contract is a doozy, even if Los Angeles absolves Minnesota of a large chunk of that salary. The 31-year-old is coming off a hamstring injury and he's presumably in the final year of his contract. It's hard to guarantee what Kupp can provide down the stretch and he's probably not a candidate to return next season, unless Minnesota wants to cough up a reasonably expensive new contract.

Those holdups will be the same for every team, though, and Minnesota is the rare contender without a supermassive quarterback contract on the books. Factor in Kupp's connection to O'Connell and his perfect fit in the Vikings offense, and it's at least worth keeping tabs on. I'm skeptical of the deal already being done, but there's still time for Minnesota and Los Angeles to hammer this thing out after Thursday's game.

Kupp would be an excellent safety valve for Darnold. It's hard to fail as a quarterback when you have Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones on your side with a solid O-line and one of football's top offensive play-callers.