Vikings rumors: Cam Robinson compensation, next trade target, 2022 draft pick on outs

With the NFL trade deadline looming, the Minnesota Vikings made a big move late Tuesday evening, acquiring offensive tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The move made perfect sense for Minnesota, as left tackle Christian Darrisaw tore the MCL and ACL ligaments in his left knee in the Vikings' Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Thursday, thus ending what looked to be a Pro Bowl-caliber season.

This marks the third straight season in which the Vikings made a trade in Week 9 to offset an injury in Week 8.

In 2022, they struck a deal with the Detroit Lions to acquire tight end T.J. Hockenson after Irv Smith Jr. suffered an ankle injury against the Arizona Cardinals. And last year, of course, after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota made a trade with those same Cardinals to acquire Joshua Dobbs.

Many thought Robinson was going to be too expensive for the Vikings. But the way Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reportedly worked things out with Jacksonville, this move is essentially a steal.

The Vikings reportedly got the Jaguars to eat $7 million of Cam Robinson's remaining salary

Per ESPN NFL insider Field Yates, in order to get the Robinson deal done, the Vikings got the Jaguars to agree to pay more than $7 million of his remaining base salary for the 2024 season.

As the 2017 second-round selection was set to earn a little over $9 million the rest of the way, the Vikings are only on the hook for roughly $2 million of his base salary and a little under $59K for every game he plays. So, if Robinson appears in Minnesota's final 10 games, he'll be owed a roster bonus of about $588K, thus making his cap hit with the Vikings a touch under $2.6 million.

Again, that's an absolute steal for a player of his caliber. While not as highly rated by Pro Football Focus as Darrisaw, who ranked 10th among offensive tackles at 81.4, Robinson ranks 31st at a solid 69.4.

Strong play here by Kwesi.

A familiar face for Flores could be the Vikings' next acquisition

While Robinson fills the void at offensive tackle, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports suggests the Vikings should also make a move at defensive tackle, specifically someone with whom defensive coordinator Brian Flores knows well, that being Adam Butler of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2017, Butler signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots, with whom Flores was essentially the defensive coordinator without ever officially holding the title.

After four seasons in Foxborough, Butler signed with the Miami Dolphins. Flores, of course, was the head coach in Miami at that time. So this a guy he knows.

After recording a career-high 5.0 sacks a season ago in his first year with the Raiders, Butler has yet to record one this season but has amassed 32 tackles, a pair of QB hits, and a pass defended.

He's not the strongest option out there, but it could be worth considering, especially seeing as how, like Robinson, he's on an expiring contract. In addition, Butler's cap hit was only $1.9 million this season, and the Vikings obviously wouldn't be on the hook for all of that.

Another 2022 Vikings draft pick might be out the door

It's no secret that the Vikings' 2022 draft class, which was Adofo-Mensah's first, has been a complete bust from an overall standpoint.

Only three of the 10 players taken that year have played meaningful roles for Minnesota, those being guard Ed Ingram (Round 2), cornerback Akayleb Evans (Round 4), and running back Ty Chandler (Round 5). But even of those three, Ingram is the only full-time starter this season.

And another three aren't even with the team anymore, including their first-round selection, safety Lewis Cine, who was released after last season and currently resides on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad. The other two are cornerback Andrew Booth (Round 2) and defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo (Round 5).

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, that number could soon be four, as he feels the Vikings may be looking to unload a third-rounder from that infamous '22 draft class.

"Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II, a former third-rounder who hasn't made an impact in Brian Flores' defense, is a trade candidate, too," Fowler wrote.

He's certainly correct about Asamoah failing to make an impact. After making 17 tackles and forcing a fumble as a rookie, he made just seven tackles in 2023 and has made just one in 2024. And that was an assist against the Houston Texans in Week 3. There may not be much value here, but if the Vikings can get even a sixth- or seventh-round pick in return, that'd have to be considered a win.