The Minnesota Vikings have added more draft ammunition.
The Vikings and Houston Texans have agreed to a trade that nets Minnesota an additional 2024 first-round pick, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Friday, per sources informed of the pact.
In the deal, the Vikings acquired the No. 23 overall pick in the first round and the No. 232 selection (seventh round). The Texans get No. 42 overall (second round), No. 188 (sixth round), and a second-round pick in 2025, per Rapoport and Pelissero.
Minnesota has since announced the trade.
Making the move 41 days before the draft opens signals that it could be step one of a multi-phase process as the Vikings stalk their next quarterback.
The trade is reminiscent of 2016, when the Philadelphia Eagles did a double-jump to move from No. 13 overall to No. 2 to draft Carson Wentz -- first trading to No. 8 (Miami), then packaging that improved selection to Cleveland for the second pick.
Friday's trade gives the Vikings two first-round picks in 2024, No. 11 overall and No. 23 overall, which they could use to maneuver for a quarterback. After Kirk Cousins departed for Atlanta, the Vikings inked Sam Darnold to a one-year contract. The club is in play to find a long-term solution at the position.
The question is whether anyone atop the draft would be willing to play ball. The Bears appear poised to draft Caleb Williams. The Commanders at No. 2 cleared the deck to draft a QB with the Sam Howell trade. Would the Patriots at No. 3 eschew a signal-caller and make a trade with Minnesota for multiple first-rounders? If all three take a QB does Minnesota still trade up to grab potentially the fourth-best signal-caller on the board?
Getting another first-rounder gives the Vikings ammo, regardless of how things shake out.
For Houston, the trade-back is a reversal from last year when they traded up on draft day to select Will Anderson directly behind C.J. Stroud. By trading Minnesota the No. 23 pick, received from Cleveland in the Deshaun Watson deal, they're recouping extra picks, including a valuable second-rounder in 2025. The Texans drop out of Day 1 of the 2024 draft but have three Day 2 selections.
