Quite possibly, the Vikings trade options will shrink down to a focused emphasis on guard. Why? Well, LG1 Donovan Jackson is now done for the 2026 season due to a torn meniscus.
GM Nolan Teasley is therefore going to be open to what’s out there.
By definition, a trade is a situation where it takes two to tango. So, there are some criteria within the plausible fiction being explored below. A 4-0 Vikings team is more likely to buy than an 0-4 Chargers team. A great team and terrible team are natural partners at the NFL trade deadline since one is focused on the present while the other on the future.
Or, put differently, that’s a situation where there’s a clear buyer and clear seller.
Note, as well, that the numbers — think cap space — need to work. Even better is if there’s a connection from Minnesota to the player being considered.
Think back to the 2024 season when Minnesota snagged LT Cam Robinson for a 4th. That was a savvy bit of business from the Vikings since the 4th that it cost for the swap was a pretty modest price for a starting lineman who ended up putting a comp pick on the board a few months later.
Shout out to all of PFF, Pro Football Reference, and Over the Cap for the information.
3 Vikings Trade Options at Guard
Player No. 1 — Ben Brown, New England Patriots
Ben Brown is a 6’5″ and 312-pound offensive lineman. Good start.
At 28, Brown is neither young nor old, meaning he resides in a nice sweet spot that will make him attractive to teams. Essentially, he has seen enough to likely be able to pickup an offense with some ease while not being so old as to not have the legs and lungs to play ball at an NFL level.
He has so far been worked into the mix with the Patriots for snaps at center and right guard. In the past, though, he has played left guard, earning 300 snaps at the position back in 2025.
The cherry on top is that he has a past with the Seahawks, overlapping with Teasley in The Emerald City in 2023.
Note that he’s working on a two-year deal worth a total of $3,840,000. That’s a very digestible financial commitment that’s not hard to trade if New England wants to do a deal.
Player No. 2 — Christian Haynes, Seattle Seahawks
Yet again, we’re rolling with a Teasley connection.
The 26-year-old guard is similar to Brown insofar as he’s a player who can play all of left guard, center, and right guard. He got into the NFL as a 3rd-Round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, so he arrived with some optimism after a college career with the Connecticut Huskies.
Seattle is being led at the position by Grey Zabel (stud) and Haynes. Beau Stephens is a draftee from 2026 and Josh Jones can hop into the guard spot, as well.
The Seahawks don’t fit the desired criteria of a team that’s likely to sell off talent. Where there’s some plausibility rests in the GM connection, cheap rookie contract, and possible willingness to move off of a guy who hasn’t been totally dominant.
Player Option 3 — Ben Bredeson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 0-4 Bucs are going nowhere. The Vikings should therefore be calling.
Already, the Vikings employ one Bredeson whom they like: fullback Max Bredeson. Picking up Ben Bredeson, a left guard, does make at least some sense.
The veteran blocker is working on the second season of a three-year $22,000,000 agreement. The great majority of that money would stay back in Tampa Bay, meaning the Vikings would be getting a bargain option for cap purposes.
Bredeson stands at 6’5″ and weighs 315 pounds. He’s 28 and is a competent starter. Might the Vikings be able to pry him away from a sinking pirate ship as the Vikings sail through what appears to be a playoff season?
Tampa Bay’s Bredeson looks like an intriguing fit.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
