As the NFL draft approaches, the chances the Minnesota Vikings can trade up for a quarterback appear to be growing slimmer. But there are other ways to land a franchise player.
The New England Patriots wants three first-round draft picks and more for the third overall pick, while the odds that the Los Angles Chargers select a quarterback themselves at No. 5 have shot up from 1% to 14%, per ESPN sports betting analyst Joe Fortenbaugh.
Prop: Chargers to draft a QB with their FIRST pick: Market open: 100/1, Yesterday: 15/1, Today: 6/1,” Fortenbaugh posted to X on Tuesday, April 23.
If the Chargers are interested in selecting a quarterback in the draft, thereby resetting the contract clock at the position, that would indicate a high likelihood that the team will also pursue a trade involving their current signal-caller Justin Herbert.
Assuming the Chargers want a quarterback at No. 5, the most likely scenario is that new head coach Jim Harbaugh selects J.J. McCarthy, as the two just captured a National Title together for the University of Michigan in January. That would presumably remove all remaining incentive for the Vikings to trade up for a quarterback, leaving them with two choices — draft a player like Bo Nix of Oregon or Michael Penix Jr. of Washington at either No. 11 or No. 23, or put together a trade offer for Herbert.
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