It keeps coming back to the same issue with the Minnesota Vikings: quarterback.
That’s the conversation every season, and it hasn’t gotten any quieter. The Vikings took an offseason swing that made sense at the time, bringing in Kyler Murray while choosing between J.J.
McCarthy and Carson Wentz. But the bigger regret is hard to miss now - they let Sam Darnold walk, and that decision has already aged badly.
Even so, that door is shut. The Vikings can’t undo it, only keep looking for ways to strengthen the position now and down the road. At the moment, there isn’t a star passer clearly on the market, though Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers has been floated as a possible trade target if the price is right.
What makes the idea tempting is simple: Minnesota already has the kind of defense that can support a top quarterback. CBS pointed out that the Vikings are No. 1 in the NFL in fewest points allowed, and argued that Herbert could be the missing piece that turns them into a true contender.
“It's clear that the Vikings have a championship-caliber defense (they're currently No. 1 in the NFL in fewest points allowed) but need help on offense. Herbert, in theory, could help the Vikings bridge that gap while becoming a surefire Super Bowl contender.
“While this season has been a mess so far, Herbert was without a doubt one of the league's best quarterbacks during his first six seasons. He threw for the second-most passing yards in league history during a player's first six seasons - only Peyton Manning threw for more yards. Herbert's 163 touchdowns was the sixth-most in league history for a player in that span,” CBS wrote.
Herbert comes with plenty of debate attached, but the production has been there for most of his career. He may not sit in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks, yet he has shown he can deliver a season with more than 4,000 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions when the system is right.
The Chargers, for their part, have been one of the league’s biggest letdowns this season. Still, it’s fair to wonder whether they’d really part with a quarterback like Herbert when landing a true franchise passer is so hard in the first place.
In Other News...
Jim Harbaugh Just Got Public Backing As Chargers Pressure Mounts
The Chargers winless start has put Jim Harbaugh squarely in the spotlight, but one of his longtime supporters is still sounding calm about the bigger picture. Los Angeles is 0-6 and one of just two NFL teams without a victory, yet Biff Poggi offered public backing for Harbaugh while acknowledging the rough hand the coach has been dealt, from injuries to a schedule that has not offered much breathing room.
The real test comes after the Week 7 bye, when the Chargers are staring at a brutal stretch that could deepen the hole before it has a chance to heal. With the Rams, Texans and Ravens waiting next, the season already feels like it is arriving at a pressure point, and the confidence around Harbaugh will be measured against what happens when the games resume. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Trade Deadline Could Force Joe Hortiz To Admit The Obvious
The Chargers hit their Week 7 bye with a familiar kind of unease, still searching for their first win and staring down a Nov. 10 trade deadline that could force the front office into an uncomfortable reset. Joe Hortiz has plenty to weigh, and the discussion around this roster has already shifted from whether the team can salvage the season to whether it should start thinking about the next one.
Among the names being floated are veterans and ascending pieces who would draw interest if Los Angeles decided to sell, with the conversation centered on how far the team is willing to go in retooling around the future. The biggest question now is whether the Chargers choose to treat the deadline as a chance to keep pushing for stability or finally acknowledge that some of their most useful players may be more valuable in a different timeline. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Khalil Mack Decision That Could Define This Rebuild
A 0-6 start has pushed the Chargers into a spot no NFL team has climbed out of since the 1965 merger to reach the playoffs, and it has made every veteran on the roster part of a bigger conversation about what comes next. For Khalil Mack, that means the trade chatter around a player who still looks like one of the more obvious assets on a struggling team is not going away, even as the linebacker has kept his focus on the field and the locker room around him.
The longer this season drifts, the more the Chargers have to weigh short-term pride against the kind of draft capital that could help shape the next phase of the rebuild. Mack remains one of the few names on the roster who could bring back meaningful value if the team decides to listen, and with the deadline approaching, the question is less about whether interest could surface than how far Los Angeles is willing to go in turning a proven veteran into future picks. [Read more 🡒]