The free agent pool of quarterbacks offers little excitement. While players Matt Cassel or Josh McCown can certainly bring something to the field, they are not a long-term option for any team searching for a starter. The Minnesota Vikings need a starter after playing the quarterback carousel for the past few seasons. With Christian Ponder looking less and less like the future for the Vikings, could a trade be the top target?
ESPN.com blogger Ben Goessling reports that Vikings could target a trade for the most sought after backup in the league, Ryan Mallett. The quarterback has been sitting behind Tom Brady for the past three seasons and likely watching his every move. While Mallett has not seen a start yet in his short career, many believe he has the potential to be a star.
The Vikings were interested in Mallett back in 2011 when they were evaluating quarterbacks in the draft. Minnesota opted to draft Christian Ponder instead, a decision that has not worked out well for the team. Mallett's stock is high because of Brady. Any player learning behind the best has likely picked up at least one or two tips on how to be successful.
Minnesota is set on bringing another potential starting quarterback in before training camp. Ponder may not be released or traded, but he is not being viewed as the starter. New offensive coordinator certainly has spoken praise for Ponder, but it is widely assumed that Minnesota is ready to move whether it be in the draft or free agency.
"The hard thing in this league is you can be playing good and doing a lot of good things and at that position, if you have a negative play or a sack, fumble or interception, a play like that at the wrong time, it takes away all of the good things you've done," Turner said, via the Minnesota Star Tribune. "I've been impressed with Christian and the things he does in terms of his movement. He moves extremely well on the run. He's made a lot of big plays. The starting point with any quarterback to me is eliminating those [bad] plays. That would be one of our starting points."
Stepping into the Vikings would be an ideal situation for a quarterback like Mallett. The team has a star in Adrian Peterson. The running back would help take some pressure off the quarterback. With an impressive wide receiving corps to take advantage of, Mallett could find some success. The Vikings are not high enough in the draft to land someone like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles, so Mallett may be the best available.
General manager Rick Spielman has some familiarity with the Patriots. The two teams have worked out deals in the past. If New England really is interested in letting go of Mallett, Minnesota will certainly call.