CTESPN has had a surprisingly high batting average when it comes to breaking news first about NFL transactions that nobody could’ve seen coming. How much of this is blind luck? Only time will tell. I can’t lie, though. We have some confirmed scoops on record. There’s no question CTESPN was early on the Stefon Diggs trade to Houston, and ahead of the curve on Russell Wilson going to the Steelers after getting axed by the Broncos.
Perhaps the most outlandish “report” to surface from the Antonio Brown-masterminded, fledgling media outlet is this latest one. Los Angeles Chargers superstar quarterback Justin Herbert could be on his way to the Minnesota Vikings in the blockbuster trade to end all blockbuster trades.
The Vikings are in the market for a QB, having lost Kirk Cousins to Atlanta in free agency. Speaking of the Texans, Minnesota traded up with them to acquire an extra first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It stands to reason that they’ll package the 11th and 23rd picks, move up higher into the first round, and draft one of the top QB prospects.
BUT. Those same assets, plus a little extra, could be utilized to swing a deal for an established star like Herbert. Or at least that’s what CTESPN is claiming.
What’s hilarious about all this is that CTESPN appears to have thrown cold water on their own report. Unclear if somebody hacked the account, or another co-administrator came to their senses before passing around probably-false rumors.
Herbert’s five-year contract only amounts to $262.5 million in total value, so the rebuttalist didn’t even get the main part of their rebuttal right. How seriously should we take CTESPN again? Confusion abound.
I’m speculating a little, but I would imagine the biggest reason Jim Harbaugh left Michigan to return to the NFL was because Herbert would be his quarterback. As much as Harbaugh loves his ex-Wolverines QB JJ McCarthy, there’s no chance he’d ship Herbert away and replace him with McCarthy. If a trade went down before June 1 — aka around the draft this coming Thursday — the Bolts would forfeit over $44 million in 2024 cap room and another $12 million next year. They’d start saving a lot of room afterwards, yet it still makes very little sense to go that route.
If Minnesota wanted to go the route of trading for an established star, they’d be better suited to explore Dak Prescott, a Cousins-esque field general who could shine throwing to Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson and Jordan Addison. One of the myriad issues there is, Prescott’s current contract expires after the 2024 campaign.
And would you rather pay him a ton of money, or pick up a rookie with possibly better upside on a cheap contract? Can’t imagine the Vikings would dump a big payload for Dak. Plus, a post-June 1 trade is the only move that makes sense from a financial standpoint.
Given how historically cheap the Chargers are, I can’t imagine a scenario where paying Herbert not to play for them and paying another QB is at all enticing.
I find it so funny that CTESPN is twisted into a pretzel of its own creation on this one. Outlandish reports like Herbert to the Vikings, especially when self-contradicted, don’t really help a news-ish organization’s case for credibility. My latest mock draft has North Carolina QB Drake Maye sliding to the Vikings at No. 11. Maye feels destined to be in Minnesota whether the team has to trade up for his rights or not. That is, unless the Commanders pull a stunner and pick Maye over Jayden Daniels, which could conceivably happen.
Herbert should be a Charger for life if Harbaugh’s track record of winning at a prolific rate everywhere he goes holds true. My auditory BS detector for this rumor is a shrill, piercing, glass-breaking cacophony that might transcend our modern understanding of decibels.
