Vikings Tried Trading the Farm for Anthony Richardson During 2023 Draft

The Minnesota Vikings have been searching for their future quarterback now for a few offseasons. In 2021, even before Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell arrived in Eagan, Rick Spielman tried his best to move up from 14 to draft Justin Fields, but couldn’t get a deal done.

Minnesota Vikings tried desperately to trade up for Anthony Richardson

The 2022 draft was so void of QB talent that it might as well been from 1942, when most males between ages 18-24 were overseas tossing grenades instead of footballs. But in April 2023, with Kwesi and KOC in their 2nd season running the Vikings draft, the young exec/coach duo may have tried desperately to put all of their eggs into another QB basket, Anthony Richardson out of Florida, who ended up going 4th to the Indianapolis Colts.

Related: 2024 Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Roundup

How desperate were they? According to NFL insider and draft analyst, Brett Kollman (creator of The Film Room) Minnesota tried to “trade the farm” for Richardson. The only reason a deal didn’t get done: You have to have two to tango.

Kollman claims that the Vikings trade partner on draft day 2023 decided against accepting their blockbuster offer because said trade partner projected Minnesota would be too good in the immediate future, behind Kirk Cousins and eventually Anthony Richardson, to make the trade worth it. They didn’t want the haul of 1st round picks they would have received to be in the 20’s or even 30’s of future drafts.

“I don’t think people realize how hard the Vikings tried to trade up for Anthony Richardson last year. Like, the hall that they put on the table was massive. They were going to give away the entire farm, all of it. They were going to give everything.”

“But, it takes two to… pic.twitter.com/EPakbaocbK

— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) January 6, 2024

“I don’t think people realize how hard the Vikings tried to trade up for Anthony Richardson last year. Like, the hall that they put on the table was massive. They were going to give away the entire farm, all of it. They were going to give everything.”

“But, it takes two to tango. Their trade partner thought that they were going to be too good, and so they went elsewhere. They didn’t want low picks, they wanted high picks. I still think Minnesota is going to try and make a move.”

Related: 3 Reasons Why Re-signing Kirk Cousins is Obvious Move for Vikings

If the Minnesota Vikings were seriously making a bid to move up for Anthony Richardson, we’re talking about a package that would have moved them up from No. 23 to No. 4 (where he went to the Colts), probably higher.

Vikings blockbuster offer for Richardson makes sense

For a maneuver like that, there’s no doubt they would’ve had to “trade the farm” in order to get it done. We’re talking (3) 1st rounders plus a bunch more, probably. We can’t know for sure how legitimate Brett’s information is but we do know the Vikings were looking to be aggressive last season, if they found a QB they loved.

We also know they showed extreme interest in Anthony Richardson throughout the draft process. In other words, Kollman’s story makes sense, in theory. But that is the past. Richardson is a Colt and the Vikings are still hunting for their QB of the future. Which brings us back to the present.

Fireworks season in April

With 2024 being an even better quarterback draft class, and their current QB situation being even murkier than it was one year ago, don’t be surprised if the Vikings take a big QB swing in the first round, no matter how far up they have to move to get it done or what other talent they have to pass on.

Kollman mentions Jaden Daniels as a perfect fit for Kevin O’Connell’s system and a possible target for a trade up option. Depending on how the puzzle pieces fall this weekend, the Vikings could draft as high as No. 8 overall, come April. They currently sit 12th entering the weekend.

Read More: Win or Lose, Vikings Can Land Top-10 Draft Pick