Surprise Rumor - Vikings tried to jump the Giants to take Nabers...not JJ

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Interesting gossip in the news...made me laugh

From the Yardbarker

Minnesota Vikings tried trading up in 2024 NFL Draft for... Malik Nabers?

According to Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk), the Vikings tried to make a move that would have shaken up the entire first round and had our brains malfunctioning almost to the degree of what they are dealing with today in Atlanta. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was reportedly trying to get to No. 5, where the LA Chargers were sitting.

During a live hit last night for ProFootballTalk, Florio said a source he trusts says the Vikings had serious discussions with Jim Harbaugh & Co, not to get a QB, but to try and snag LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

    "I've got a little something more to tell you, here. Something I've picked up, because I've got tentacles everywhere. I've got connections. I'm hearing things, and you know what I heard, and I'm surprised by this, but I trust my source. At No. 5, the Chargers, when they took Joe Alt, they passed on an opportunity to trade out of that spot. The team that wanted to move up to that spot, I'm told... the Minnesota Vikings. And not to take JJ McCarthy. The Vikings, I'm told, were trying to move up to No. 5 to get Malik Nabers." Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk

From there, Florio goes on to question what the Vikings' interest in Malik Nabers meant for Justin Jefferson. Could Minnesota really be concerned they might lose him or be forced to trade him this offseason (or next) should they not be able to reach a contract agreement.

Now, it's important to know that this ProFootballTalk report came after the New York Giants selected Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick and after the Chargers had already drafted 'one of us' Joe Alt at pick 5. But it was before the Minnesota Vikings had traded up to No. 10 to take JJ McCarthy. Here's the rest of the transcript from the Florio clip above.

    "What does that tell you about the Vikings and Justin Jefferson? The Vikings tried to get to No. 5, apparently not to get McCarthy, but to get Malik Nabers. What an offense that would've been. They still would've needed a quarterback, they may get that quarterback in a few picks." Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk

What in the Mike Florio world is going on here... Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We now know that the Vikings were able to land JJ McCarthy at No. 10. So, if we assume that Florio's source was correct, one has to wonder if Kwesi and O'Connell were really trying to stack the Minnesota receiving core to a level we haven't seen since Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed all suited up in purple and gold.

Or... was the Vikings' call up to No. 5 a smokescreen of some sort? We know the Giants spent more time with JJ McCarthy than any other team in the draft and many thought he would be the pick at No. 6, if he was still available.

Instead, it was New York who passed on JJ and opted for Nabers at No. 6. We may never know the answer to these questions, or if this call up ever really happened. But Nonetheless, it is a 'what in the...' type of report that Mike Florio has become famous for.

[drewsg]

Interesting. I wonder who would we have picked? Odunze?

[DaveBrown74]

Vikings already have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson. And prior to getting McCarthy they had basically nothing at QB. It is hard for me to believe this rumor. I understand their thinking may be that they don't intend to re-sign Jefferson possibly, but even still, he's in his 5th year option right now plus they have two other high end aerial targets.

[Ed Vette]

If that were the case, wouldn't that mean that the Vikings knew the Giants would be drafting Nabors? I don't believe it. They were moving up to Draft McCarthy.

[AZGiantFan]

Like I said in another thread, the post-draft smokescreen is just as thick as the pre-draft smokescreen.

[MightyGiants]

https://x.com/TheGiantsWire/status/1784982410712461349

[AZGiantFan]

For me, the 2 worst takes I've heard are that the receiver rich and QB-less Vikings wanted to trade up for a receiver, not a QB, and that the Giants were hoping that Alt fell to them.

[nb587]

For me, the 2 worst takes I've heard are that the receiver rich and QB-less Vikings wanted to trade up for a receiver, not a QB, and that the Giants were hoping that Alt fell to them.

You can make the case that Alt was the Giants pick if Nabors was gone.  Alt was a top 5 pick in more than one report, was regarded as the best OT in years and may have been BPA if Nabors was gone. 

McCarthy, I think, was a different story.  They had lots of reasons to think that the Giants would jump at McCarthy if available without a trade up.  Once they passed on him, I would have expected a massive offer to move up to 7 or 8.  I'm assuming it never happened.  But, Atlanta drafting Penix really throws a curve into McCarthy's perceived value.  It's entirely possibly that getting Nabors with s rookie contract, if he is that good, would allow them to trade Jefferson and safe a boatload of money and recoup a huge return.  Not the craziest idea

[Ed Vette]

"Linked to both North Carolina's Drake Maye and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, many wondered if the New York Giants would make a move up for a quarterback in Round 1.

Despite the weeks of speculation that the front office was looking to find Daniel Jones' successor, ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday's "Pat McAfee Show" that the Giants were never really interested in a signal-caller at all but were actually trying to orchestrate their own perfect storm.

"I believe the Giants wanted Joe Alt to slide to them," Schefter said. "... I think some of this quarterback talk for the Giants might have been a little camouflage to try to get somebody like Minnesota to trade up because if they traded up to the Chargers spot at 5 and got J.J. McCarthy, Joe Alt would've slid right to the Giants' slot at No. 6 and that would have been ideal for a team that last year allowed its quarterbacks to be sacked 85 times."

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/insider_says_giants_interest_in_drafting_a_qb_was_a_smokescreen/s1_13132_40301605?

[katkavage]

"Linked to both North Carolina's Drake Maye and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, many wondered if the New York Giants would make a move up for a quarterback in Round 1.

Despite the weeks of speculation that the front office was looking to find Daniel Jones' successor, ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday's "Pat McAfee Show" that the Giants were never really interested in a signal-caller at all but were actually trying to orchestrate their own perfect storm.

"I believe the Giants wanted Joe Alt to slide to them," Schefter said. "... I think some of this quarterback talk for the Giants might have been a little camouflage to try to get somebody like Minnesota to trade up because if they traded up to the Chargers spot at 5 and got J.J. McCarthy, Joe Alt would've slid right to the Giants' slot at No. 6 and that would have been ideal for a team that last year allowed its quarterbacks to be sacked 85 times."

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/insider_says_giants_interest_in_drafting_a_qb_was_a_smokescreen/s1_13132_40301605?

I don't know about Joe Alt, but I'm pretty sure, picking 6, they never were serious about a QB despite the blather of Mara and Schoen. If they were picking number 1 they would haven't had a choice and would have had to take Williams. Anything other than that, I think they would have traded out. It's all about saving face over the contract for Jones.

[Ed Vette]

I don't know about Joe Alt, but I'm pretty sure, picking 6, they never were serious about a QB despite the blather of Mara and Schoen. If they were picking number 1 they would haven't had a choice and would have had to take Williams. Anything other than that, I think they would have traded out. It's all about saving face over the contract for Jones.

Once Maye was off the table, I think Alt was the guy. Although I don't think they ever had serious intentions of trading the farm for Maye.

[T200]

Once Maye was off the table, I think Alt was the guy. Although I don't think they ever had serious intentions of trading the farm for Maye.

That would have ruined the draft for me. As much as I want to have the offensive line fixed, I think we have enough pieces already to see a significant improvement. It would have been putting all the eggs in the same basket.

[MightyGiants]

I don't know about Joe Alt, but I'm pretty sure, picking 6, they never were serious about a QB despite the blather of Mara and Schoen. If they were picking number 1 they would haven't had a choice and would have had to take Williams. Anything other than that, I think they would have traded out. It's all about saving face over the contract for Jones.

It's amazing how, in some fans' eyes, John Mara has become this cartoon villain.  It's sort of like what we see league-wide with Rodger Goodell.   The reality is that Goodell suffers the wrath of much of the NFL fanbase, but he is just the face of the decision made by the owners.

If you want to hold Mara accountable for Gettleman and Joe Judge, that's reasonable.  However, the amount of wild conspiracy theories that are created around Mara and what he does as co-owner of the Giants is truly remarkable.

[katkavage]

It's amazing how, in some fans' eyes, John Mara has become this cartoon villain.  It's sort of like what we see league-wide with Rodger Goodell.   The reality is that Goodell suffers the wrath of much of the NFL fanbase, but in reality, he is just the face of the decision made by the owners.

If you want to hold Mara accountable for Gettleman and Joe Judge, that's reasonable.  However, the amount of wild conspiracy theories that are created around Mara and what he does as co-owner of the Giants is truly remarkable.

It's not a wild conspiracy to think that Mara was very much aware and in consultation with the GM on the first pick in the draft. And that the QB search was always a smokescreen. And that contract for Jones? Not done without consulting Mara? Please. He's not a cartoon villain. Just not a very good team owner in terms of success based on his own hirings to start with.

[MightyGiants]

It's not a wild conspiracy to think that Mara was very much aware and in consultation with the GM on the first pick in the draft. And that the QB search was always a smokescreen. And that contract for Jones? Not done without consulting Mara? Please. He's not a cartoon villain. Just not a very good team owner in terms of success based on his own hirings to start with.

The Giants have been run the same way for decades.  The GM is the ultimate decider, but the owner shares his views and opinions.  Frankly, considering that Mara grew up on Giants football, that doesn't seem like the worst thing.   The man learned football from greats like George Young, Bill Parcells, and Tom Coughlin.  It's not like he is some wealthy stockbroker who thinks his financial savvy easily translates to the football world.

I have heard people in the know fault Mara's loyalty, and I don't disagree.  Ronnie Barnes is the poster boy for people the team has kept past their sell-by-data.   Still, I hear far more unfair and unfounded criticism, in terms of conspiracy theories (I am not a fan of conspiracy theories), than he deserves.