The league's 3 p.m. CDT trade deadline has come and gone without the Vikings making a deal.
That's not really surprising. For starters, typically the NFL trade deadline is by far the quietest of the four major American professional sports leagues. Although, there were a couple of trades today, with the one-win Buccaneers trading linebacker Jonathan Casillas to their major-league affiliates, the Patriots, and also sending safety Mark Barron, the seventh overall pick in 2012, to the Rams.
But it seemed highly unlikely the Vikings would make a deal, especially with them sitting at 3-5.
Sure, there are some areas on the depth chart that could have been patched over for the short term, but that wouldn't mesh with the long-term plan of general manager Rick Spielman, who covets picks, in part because they allow him to move around on draft day and land the prospects he loves.
As for assets they could sell off, the Vikings did not have much to offer. Outside linebacker Chad Greenway could be playing his last season in Minnesota, but I'm not sure how much value, if any, he would have on the trade market. And while wide receiver Greg Jennings hasn't lived up to his big contract, they would have had to eaten a super-sized cap hit next season had they dealt him. Plus, would it make much sense to trade your only veteran wide-out when developing a rookie QB?
In the end, I'm sure some phone calls were placed and received today over at Winter Park. But for a young, rebuilding team, it probably wouldn't have made much sense for the Vikings to make a deal.
