Going into the 2024 season, the Minnesota Vikings defense is in a good spot. They finished 13th in total defense and 17th in scoring defense last season after a disastrous 2022.
This offseason saw a significant shift for the Vikings on the defensive side of the football, especially at edge rusher. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and first-round pick Dallas Turner. They also stayed relatively pat at cornerback with only Shaquill Griffin being a high-profile signing.
Could the Vikings make a big move this offseason to acquire another player? Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler suggests a trade for New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Could he be available? Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has said “everyone is tradable” and Fowler has it costing just a third-round and fifth-round pick.
The rationale for the Saints makes complete sense. They need to find ways to improve and alleviate salary cap space. It also makes sense for the Vikings, especially when you look at the salary cap situation.
Those numbers are based on Over The Cap’s projections, but my projections have the Vikings between $75-85 million. When healthy, adding Lattimore’s cap hits would be well worth it.
Is this something that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will want to pursue? That remains to be seen, especially with his unwillingness to majorly invest in the position outside of the NFL Draft. If they choose to do that, it would signal the influence that defensive coordinator Brian Flores has. It could also transform the defense to a major player in the NFC, as Lattimore is just 28 years old.