Vikings Are All In

The Minnesota Vikings showed today that they are all in for 2016.

About this time last week the Minnesota Vikings were cruising into the 2016 with high hopes. And a splashy, new stadium. That all changed on Tuesday when starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went down in a routine practice drill with a significant knee injury. It was a very sad day. It's been a sad few days. As Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said, "no one's going to feel sorry for us." The NFL moves at it's own steady pace and each of the 32 teams just have to keep up with it. The Minnesota Vikings showed today that their lofty goals for the 2016 are still lofty. They acquired quarterback Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles. The cost was high.

-first round pick in 2017
-conditional fourth round pick in 2018

The cost for a starting quarterback usually is high. The cost probably gets a little higher when the deal has to be made a week before the start of the season. The Vikings had to add a quarterback when Bridgewater was lost for the season. Most of the names floated around were the available "has-beens" like Michael Vick or "might-never-bes" like Aaron Murray. Even some current back-ups like Mike Glennon, AJ McCarron and Josh McCown were considered pipe-dreams or too expensive. The Vikings paid a pretty price for a quarterback that was set to be his team's starter this year. It was a price that the Vikings were clearly willing to pay.

Sam Bradford was the first pick in the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. His NFL future appeared bright that first year as he took home the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and nearly led the Rams into the playoffs. His playing career has been a rocky one ever since. Injuries have been a big reason. He first tore his left ACL in the middle of the 2013 season. He then tore that repaired ligament during the 2014 preseason. In his six-year NFL career, Bradford has essentially missed about half of those years. That is really the biggest gamble with this trade. The Vikings offensive line has to keep Bradford safe and in one piece.

The Vikings have to get Sam Bradford up to speed in a hurry. It might help a bit that Pat Shurmur is on the staff. He was hired this past offseason to coach tight ends but with his coaching resume' it's been assumed that he was also hired to blend some of his offensive ideas with those of coordinator Norv Turner. Shurmur was the Rams offensive coordinator when Bradford was drafted and the Eagles offensive coordinator/interim head coach last year. He may have only been a part of two of Bradford's seasons but it's a place to start. It might also help that Vikings current starting quarterback Shaun Hill was with the Rams in 2014. Bradford was even a 2006 teammate of Adrian Peterson at Oklahoma. It's something.

The cost. I always hate to see the Vikings trade away a first round pick. Although the last time that they traded away a first round pick before the draft it worked out pretty well. Jared Allen. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman understands the value of first round picks. He'd rather collect them than trade them. The seven first round picks that he collected between 2012 and 2014 form a significant part of the core of this talented Vikings team. With Bridgewater down, Spielman had to do something. This is a team with Super Bowl talent. It's a team without a lot of holes but a huge hole opened up just over a week before the season. They lost the quarterback and leader that was primed to guide this team. Quarterback became a bigger need now than any need could possibly be next spring. So, the Vikings decided to use that first round pick now. Windows to win in the NFL don't always open. When they do open they don't always stay open very long. Spielman did something about this unfortunate quarterback situation. He didn't go out and find a superficial fix. He found a significant fix. Now, they have to get Sam Bradford ready. And, as importantly they have to keep him healthy. The Minnesota Vikings are all in. This year.