Vikings rumors: Minnesota linked to Rams Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, Adam Thielen reunion

With the NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching on November 5, the Minnesota Vikings have been linked to several high-profile names recently, including a pair of players with whom Kevin O'Connell has a history.

As it happens, those same two players will be attempting to hand the Vikings their second straight loss on Thursday night when Minnesota takes on the Los Angeles Rams. The two players involved in these rumors, of course, are quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

Given that O'Connell was the Rams' offensive coordinator when Stafford and Kupp led the team to a Super Bowl win three seasons ago, the fact that they're both being linked to the Vikings in trade rumors makes all the sense in the world. But neither is going to happen, and we'll get into why in just a moment.

We'll then close things out with a rumor that genuinely could come to fruition, one that actually makes sense and would bring a Minnesota fan favorite back to the Twin Cities.

The Vikings trading Sam Darnold for Matthew Stafford isn't going to happen

The headline above pretty much says it all. While there has been some chatter about the Vikings trading Sam Darnold for Matthew Stafford, this isn't happening. Nor should it.

For starters, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune checked into the matter once the rumors picked up steam earlier this week, and his sources surrounding the team said there is "zero truth" to this idea.

But even if there were any truth to it, there's just no way that the Vikings would do this. For one, there's the money issue. Stafford is set to have cap hits of more than $53.6 million in each of the next two seasons. And the Rams would have to eat roughly $68 million in dead cap if they move him.

But even taking money out of it, they simply don't need a new quarterback, as Darnold has done a fine job thus far. Sure, he's had some issues here and there, but he won NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September and has exceeded all expectations this year. Plus, the organization loves him, and one wouldn't think anyone would want to disrupt the connection he's made with this offensive group by bringing in a new signal-caller.

Furthermore, with J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings, assuming his recovery goes well, bringing Stafford and his salary into the mix throws a kink into the first-round pick's succession timeline. Trust us, we could keep going.

But there's no need; this isn't happening. Not unless Darnold goes down with a season-ending injury in the next two weeks, that is. Even then, though, this doesn't seem plausible.

Minnesota trading for Cooper Kupp is more likely than Stafford, but it's still a long shot

With the Rams making wideout Cooper Kupp available, the Vikings were obviously one of the teams mentioned as a possible destination.

With O'Connell as his offensive coordinator, Kupp had one of the greatest single seasons any wide receiver has ever had in 2021, winning the position's Triple Crown by leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16) en route to winning Offensive Player of the Year.

The issue since then has obviously been his health. Kupp missed eight games in 2022, five games in 2023, and has already missed four this season, although he will be back in action against the Vikings on Thursday night.

Would a 1-2 punch of Kupp and Justin Jefferson be amazing? Of course. When he's actually on the field, he's fantastic. But that's the thing. He's simply become too injury-prone to rely on. And even with the Rams reportedly willing to take on some of his salary, it's still a lot of money for Minnesota to take on, as Kupp's base salary alone this year is $15 million.

And unless the Vikings can rework a new deal (there is an out on his contract after this season), he has cap hits of $29.78 million in 2025 and $27.33 million in 2026. Minnesota has money to spend, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be best suited to use that cash elsewhere.

The Vikings could plausibly reunite with Adam Thielen

A much more realistic trade option for the Vikings at wide receiver could be to strike a deal with the Carolina Panthers to reunite with Adam Thielen.

Thielen, of course, played nine seasons in Minnesota, making a pair of Pro Bowls, but became a salary-cap casualty and was released after the 2022 season.

He was one of the lone bright spots for the 2-15 Panthers in 2023, catching 103 passes for 1,014 yards with four touchdowns.

Yes, Thielen has been on injured reserve for the last month after suffering a hamstring injury in Carolina's lone win of the 2024 campaign in Week 3 over the Las Vegas Raiders. But his return is imminent, and with the Panthers' season already over, one has to think that the 34-year-old will be on the trading block.

Naturally, the Vikings have been listed as a possible destination. And why wouldn't they be? Thielen would slide seamlessly into an offense with which he's already familiar and would be a perfect fit in the slot.

And with a base salary of $5.5 million and a cap hit of just over $9.9 million, he's a far cheaper option. The Vikings trading for Stafford or Kupp doesn't seem overly realistic. Reuniting with Thielen does, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see this happen.

But given the overall unpredictability of this 2024 NFL season as a whole, anything seems possible at this point.