Donovan McNabb being traded to the Minnesota Vikings has been a hot NFL trade rumor for the last few seasons, but unlike in the past, it looks like it might now be coming pretty close to a reality.
The Vikings are one of the teams interested in McNabb, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity.
No deal could be made until the NFL lockout is ended and the Collective Bargaining Agreement is worked out, but the fact that there is now confirmed interest from both sides indicate that McNabb could be taking his talents to Minnesota sooner rather than later.
WFAN 660 AM radio personality "Incarcerated Bob" also tweeeted earlier today, saying “Source: Quietly behind the scenes Redskins & Vikings are working on a McNabb trade (Needs to agree to redo contract).” He probably isn’t the most reliable source, but he’s been right before.
SB Nation Minnesota’s own Christopher Gates weighed in on the most recent McNabb to Minnesota rumors earlier today. Unfortunately for the Vikings’ faithful, he doesn’t seem too excited about the deal.
While McNabb is still a “good” quarterback, I don’t think he would ultimately be taking this team anywhere, as unfortunate as that sounds. A guy like McNabb or a Matt Hasselbeck (who would be my choice if we were bringing a guy in for a year or two) might be able to keep the Vikings in contention and bridge the gap to a guy that the Vikings take in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, but that’s really about it. McNabb, however, doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that would be willing to pass the proverbial torch. From their demeanors, I think you could sit down with a Hasselbeck or even a Marc Bulger and say to them, “Okay, you’re going to start this year, the new guy is going to carry your clubs this season, and next season you’re probably going to be the backup.” I don’t get the impression that McNabb would be quite so willing to accept that sort of thing.
This story won’t move too fast, obviously, because nothing can happen until the NFL lockout situation is figured out — but it is interesting enough to keep an eye on until then.