Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman took the podium at the NFL scouting combine to offer a little insight on what the team is considering doing regarding their quarterback situation. It is no secret that the Vikings must do something considering they tried three different starters in 2013 and no one panned out to be successful. With the draft right out the corner, the Vikings are planning to do whatever it takes to grab another potential franchise player.
The Vikings currently hold the No. 8 quarterback which makes it tough to grab Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or maybe even Teddy Bridgewater. However, Spielman notes the Vikings will consider trading up in order to get a game-changing quarterback this season.
"We've done a lot of great things in the draft, but everybody's looking for that quarterback," Spielman said, via SBNation.com. "That franchise guy. You have to be aggressive to go out there and find that guy and keep turning that wheel until you find the one you hit on. Are we going to force a quarterback at No. 8? We're going to take the best player unless we're absolutely in love with a guy. If we're in love with a guy who may go before us, we may move up in the draft."
Right now, the team has Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman still on the roster. Matt Cassel has officially voided his contract with the team and got to hit the free agent market early. Freeman will also hit the market come March. He has already expressed a desire to change teams, so do not expect to see him back in purple next season. That leaves the Vikings with under-performing Ponder, someone Spielman is not too invested in.
"This year, that next step forward didn't happen," Spielman said. "There are games where you watch him play and he's playing at a high level. Then there's games where he hasn't been. He's shown flashes of it, but never been able to do it on a consistent basis."
That is certainly a shining endorsement for a player that was drafted with the No. 12 overall pick just a few years ago. While there has been speculation the Vikings will attempt to trade Ponder, he could easily stick around and create some kind of competition for a younger quarterback.
Spielman describes the upcoming draft as being heavy on quarterback talent in each round. If the team fails to execute a move up in the order, Minnesota will likely look to players like AJ McCarron or Aaron Murray as possible second or third round options. The Vikings will begin holding private workouts after the combine as Spielman predicts the team looks at eight players total.