Purple Rumor Mill: Splashy Trade for Vikings, Bill Belichick’s Vikings Take, Sam Darnold Extension
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.
Rumor: The Vikings should fire off a trade to the Buffalo Bills for cornerback Kaiir Elam.
“Byron Murphy Jr. hasn’t been playing well this season as he allowed 16 completions on 22 targets (72.7 percent) and a passer rating of 117.4 heading into this weekend, according to Pro Football Focus. Murphy is also in a contract year, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring in a young corner who can help right away and be a potential long-term solution,” BR’s collective staff explained.
Minnesota’s defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and first in EPA/Play. So, outwardly, it doesn’t need too much help on defense. However, more injuries will likely arise, especially at cornerback, as no starters have missed games through four weeks. CB injuries are generally unavoidable.
BR added, “The third-year pro may not be the proven commodity the organization is hoping for, but that’s primarily because he’s been stuck behind Christian Benford. The 2022 first-round pick has plenty of talent to potentially be an immediate contributor, though.”
The article did not list a price for Elam’s services via trade, but he can probably be obtained for a 6th-Rounder or so.
This trade would be pretty sweet, but Elam would serve as a backup corner in Brian Flores’ defense.
Rumor: Bill Belichick claims the Vikings must re-sign Sam Darnold if he takes them deep into the playoffs.
According to Bill Belichick, the winner of six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots, bringing Darnold back in 2025 and beyond is a no-brainer if Minnesota succeeds in the postseason.
