NFL Trade Deadline 2018: Vikings stand pat; Lions, Packers make significant deals

As most expected, the Minnesota Vikings decided to not make any moves at the NFL’s trade deadline, which passed at 3:00 PM Central time this afternoon. However, a couple of the Vikings’ NFC North rivals did make some moves today, and those moves appear to have been made with eyes on the future rather than on 2018.

The big one comes from the Vikings’ opponents this week, the Detroit Lions. The Lions dealt wide receiver Golden Tate, who has historically been a real thorn in the Vikings’ side, to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round draft pick in 2019. With the emergence of Kenny Golladay in Detroit, the Lions apparently decided that Tate was expendable, and they got a pretty decent return for him.

Not to be outdone, the Green Bay Packers made two deals on Tuesday. The first deal they made was to send safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Redskins in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round draft pick. Clinton-Dix was probably the Packers’ best defensive back, but is set to be a free agent next season and it doesn’t sound like the Packers had a lot of interest in bringing him back.

The Packers also traded the hero of their Week 8 game against the Rams, running back Ty Montgomery, to the Baltimore Ravens for a sack of used footballs 2020 seventh-round pick. Montgomery, if you haven’t heard the story, was told to stay in the end zone on the kick return following the Rams taking a last-minute lead over the Packers on Sunday. Instead, Montgomery decided to go full Pedro Cerrano (“EFF YOU, MIKE MCCARTHY! I’LL DO IT MYSELF!”) and promptly fumbled the football, with the Rams recovering and denying the Packers a chance at a potential last-minute comeback.

What do you think of the trade activity that went down in the NFC North on trade deadline day, folks?