Vikings WR Could Be Popular Trade Candidate at Deadline

The 2025 Minnesota Vikings were constructed over the offseason to win now. Unfortunately, thanks to a rash of early-season injuries, underwhelming play from key contributors and recurring issues at quarterback stemming from both injury and poor play.

And now, the NFL trade deadline is just six days away. At 3-4, with a brutal matchup Sunday against the Detroit Lions on deck, it’s possible general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in a selling mood early next week, in the final hours leading up to the 3 PM CT buzzer.

Jalen Nailor an intriguing trade chip for MN Vikings

That could be especially true if the MN Vikings deal from a position they have a lot of depth… like wide receiver. Adam Thielen’s been riding the bench since Jordan Addison’s return and Jalen Nailor’s been underutilized.

So, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert is wondering: While the Vikings may not be actively taking offers on him now, could they get a proposal on pending free agent Jalen Nailor — in the moments leading up to the trade deadline next week — that is just too good for them to pass up?

Wide receiver Jalen Nailor. He is a key part of the Vikings’ three-receiver sets and has played the fourth-highest percentage of snaps (74.1%) of any offensive player. But in the Vikings’ efforts to feed Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Nailor has been targeted only 26 times this season. (He has caught 13 of those throws for 162 yards and a touchdown.) The Vikings aren’t looking to trade Nailor, but they have depth behind him in veteran Adam Thielen. Nailor is also a pending free agent. With Jefferson set to count for $39 million against the 2026 cap, and Addison eligible for an extension this upcoming offseason, Nailor could move on next year anyway.

Kevin Seifert – ESPN

While it looked as though the Minnesota Vikings offense would be flush with playmakers in 2025, the passing game — which has been inefficient and mostly ineffective overall — has largely relied on Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, leaving Nailor, Thielen and even T.J. Hockenson to pick up the few scraps remaining.

In 17 games last season, Nailor caught 28 passes for 414 yards and six touchdowns. This season, through seven games, he has 13 receptions for 162 yards and a single score. He’s on track to best the 2024 mark, but he remains such an insignificant part of the game plan.

J.J. McCarthy ➡️ Jalen Nailor 🎯 pic.twitter.com/oVLu1HI8Yg

— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) September 15, 2025

Whether the Vikings turn things around or not, cashing in on Nailor before losing him for nothing seems like a pretty good idea, given the little he offers to the offense right now. Thielen isn’t the same player he once was, but he’s still plenty capable of filling a WR3 role on this team.

Vikings trade deadline plans could hinge on Detroit

While the NFL is a beast when it comes to overall popularity, the league does not operate at the trade deadline anything like Major League Baseball or the National Basketball Association. Trades are often few and far between, and they are more more complicated to pull off.

Minnesota is a game below .500 at 3-4 heading into Week 9. They are 9.5 point underdogs against the 5-2 Lions. It would be a surprise to see J.J. McCarthy step back in at quarterback and immediately knock off one of the best teams in the league.

If the Vikings pull off an upset, they may be intrigued to add more win-now pieces. The most logical line of thinking says they should probably just let the dice fall where they may. At any rate, Kirk Cousins wanting out and coming back, would seem to significantly stretch the parameters of reality.