Vikings rumors: WR trade option, Sam Darnold extension, T.J. Hockenson's role when he returns

Heading into this 2024 NFL season, it's safe to say that not many could have predicted the Minnesota Vikings would be 5-0 heading into their Week 6 bye, especially given the overall strength of the opponents they faced the first five weeks.

But with wins over the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets, here they are as the lone undefeated team in the NFC.

And while they've got a tough test looming after their bye with a Week 7 duel with the Detroit Lions, the month that follows looks fairly easy, at least on paper. So, Minnesota could keep this winning streak going for quite some time. And even if they lose to Detroit, they should at least be 9-1 after their first 10 games, which, again, nobody saw coming.

But even with the Vikings on a bye, there are always things to talk about. For instance, could general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah go out and get Sam Darnold another wide receiver ahead of the trade deadline? Because there's certainly an intriguing option out there.

And speaking of Darnold, who's a legit NFL MVP candidate at this point, the Vikings may have never thought that they'd need him beyond this season, as he was essentially brought in to be a placeholder and mentor to J.J. McCarthy. But now that he's doing what he's doing, discussions are going to have to be had, so we'll dive into what those might look like.

We'll also get into the imminent return of tight end T.J. Hockenson, who may very well suit up against the Lions, and what his role will be with this surprising Vikings team. So, let's get into it, shall we?

Amari Cooper to the Vikings?

At this point in time, it's not as if the Vikings genuinely need to add players ahead of the NFL trade deadline in early November, especially on the defensive side of the football.

That might not be the case on offense had Aaron Jones' hip injury been a bit more serious, but as he's "week-to-week" and can rest up during the bye, acquiring a running back doesn't seem to be a high priority.

However, adding a wide receiver could be an option, at least according to former NFL player and current co-host of NFL Network's Good Morning Football, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Minnesota could be a possible landing spot for five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper if the Cleveland Browns decide to deal him.

“How about the Minnesota Vikings? They have T.J. Hockenson coming back. You start thinking, ‘What could they do? They could add some depth’. Think about what the Kansas City Chiefs have done,” Gbajabiamila stated when discussing landing spots for Cooper.

“They continuously add depth. Someone gets hurt, they get someone else in there. How about going out and maybe looking for an Amari Cooper, who’s on a struggling Browns team? Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in Cleveland already, has familiarity with Amari Cooper. Now, all of a sudden, you have depth at the wide receiver position.”

It's an interesting thought, for sure, especially seeing how Cooper is in the final year of his contract, which means Minnesota could bring him in as a straight-up rental for the remainder of the season. In addition, he had just an $8.744 million cap hit this year, and the Vikings wouldn't even need to take that full hit.

The biggest issue is that the Vikings don't have much to offer in the way of draft capital in a trade, as they only have three picks next spring due to other deals they've made. Other arrangements could be made, of course, but it might still be a little difficult to get done.

But could you imagine seeing Justin Jefferson on one side, Amari Cooper on the other, Jordan Addison in the slot, and T.J. Hockenson at tight end? That's just dangerous. It's not likely to happen, but it's certainly an intriguing rumor to entertain.

Should the Vikings just go ahead and give Sam Darnold a contract extension now?

As referenced earlier, when the Vikings signed Sam Darnold, it was essentially to serve as a placeholder until first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy was ready to take the reins, which is seemingly why he was only given a one-year deal in the first place.

But when McCarthy went down with a season-ending knee injury, Darnold's role obviously changed. And given what the No. 3 overall pick from the 2018 draft has done thus far, Minnesota's thinking may have changed as well.

While Darnold didn't have a great game in London against the New York Jets, completing just 14 of 31 passes for 179 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception, he's still tied for second among all NFL quarterbacks with 11 touchdown passes and owns the sixth-highest passer rating at 103.4.

The Vikings will likely want to see if he can continue to produce, but Darnold is setting himself up nicely. It sometimes only takes one good season to score a lucrative contract; look no further than Daniel Jones for proof of that.

But as Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated recently opined, Minnesota may not want to wait until the end of the season to extend Darnold's deal.

"In short," Orr stated, "we’ve seen enough to warrant the risk that Darnold would not be worth the return if the Vikings were to offer him a deal that would make him both a perpetual mentor and competitor to the recovering J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ rookie and No. 10 pick who tore his meniscus this preseason. 

"Darnold could rightfully want the big contract he never had the chance to get with the Jets and, should he continue to play this way, could find himself in the Kirk Cousins position, headlining free agency this offseason as a handful of QB-needy teams make their pitch. Or, he could simply approach the Vikings and ask them to make him a deal that could keep him in a place that has uncovered the player we always thought might be there."

Spotrac currently calculates Darnold's market value to be roughly $31.7 million per season at this point, which is more than triple what he makes now on his one-year, $10 million deal. But that's slightly less than what Baker Mayfield is making after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a three-year, $100 million deal this past offseason, which looks like a steal right now, given the state of the market.

As Orr mentions, Darnold may opt to take his chances in free agency, as he could be able to get the $40 million the Giants are paying Jones or even the $45 million the Atlanta Falcons are paying Cousins.

But whatever team is willing to give him that likely won't be one that's built to win now. Minnesota is in that position. And with a guy like Justin Jefferson to throw to, Darnold may not want to leave, even with McCarthy waiting in the wings.

Both sides are going to have some decisions to make, perhaps sooner rather than later, and it'll be very interesting to see how this all plays out.

T.J. Hockenson's role with the Vikings upon his return

On October 4, the Friday ahead of the Vikings' Week 5 matchup with the Jets in London, T.J. Hockenson's practice window opened, meaning Minnesota has 21 days from that point to elevate him to the main roster.

Hockenson, who tore both the MCL and ACL in his right knee against the Lions last December, may return as soon as the Vikings' Week 7 contest with Detroit. Or Kevin O'Connell could wait until the Thursday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Rams four days later.

Regardless of which game it is, Hockenson will be back soon. But many have speculated on what his role will be in an offense that, for the most part, has been firing on all cylinders since the season began.

While neither Johnny Mundt nor Josh Oliver were ever going to be the force Hockenson can be when healthy, both have performed nicely through the first five weeks, combining for 13 receptions for 112 yards with a touchdown each.

In a video conference with reporters earlier this week, O'Connell was specifically asked how Hockenson would be used upon his return, and this was his response:

"He just provides such an incredible asset in the interior of our pass game. How he works in conjunction with our wide receivers, or maybe Aaron Jones and out of the backfield, where we could truly see the weapons that we kind of envisioned once we fully got healthy and got T.J. back there.

"I think Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt have both done a really nice job. Josh's consistent force in the run game and showing up a little bit here and there in the pass game as well. And Johnny will still play a role also, which has been critical to us in T.J.'s absence. I've been very vocal about my confidence in that tight end room, not only as we've been operating, but getting one of the top players, in my opinion, at the position back is always going to be a jolt for your offense."

It's a little vague overall, but from what it sounds like, Hockenson will be expected to play a significant role almost immediately. Exactly how significant remains to be seen, as O'Connell says Mundt will still be integrated into the offense while Hockenson gets his game legs under him again.