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When you're a 1-6 team that has pretty much shown that they have no hope for the 2013 season going forward, it stands to reason that the rumors are going to start flying that there are players on the block that could be traded for draft picks. The Minnesota Vikings are no different, and they have several players that have been mentioned in that context.
Foremost among them is defensive end Jared Allen, who is in the final year of his contract. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported yesterday that the Vikings would be willing to trade him for "the right price." If he were to walk away as a free agent this off-season, the Vikings would likely receive a third-round compensatory pick in the 2015 NFL Draft (not the 2014 draft, unless my understanding is incorrect). If the Vikings could get something more than that for him, they would be pretty foolish not to pull the trigger on it.
The problem with this lies in the fact that Jared Allen carries a huge salary cap number. Going into the season, his cap figure of $17 million was the highest for any defensive player in the league, and any team willing to trade for him would have to have enough space to absorb that hit. I'm not sure offhand how many teams have that ability, let alone teams that could absorb the hit and have the need for a player with Allen's skill set.
Another player that could be on the move is running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart, if you'll remember, is thought to have potentially be on his way to the Indianapolis Colts before they swung a deal with Cleveland for Trent Richardson. Gerhart is in the final year of his rookie deal, and almost certainly won't be back in Minnesota to sit behind Adrian Peterson after this season. If the team could get something for him, they'd be foolish not to take it, too.
Defensive tackle Kevin Williams and receiver Jerome Simpson could potentially be on the block as well. Just like Allen and Gerhart, they're both in the last year of their contracts with the Vikings, and it would be a surprise to see either of them back in purple in 2014, in my opinion.
The trade deadline is Tuesday at 3:00 PM Central time. Will the Vikings make any moves before then? We'll have to wait and see.