Vikings trade idea swaps late-round draft pick for $97 million Cowboys superstar

With the major waves of free agency and the NFL draft now in the rearview mirror, fans of the Minnesota Vikings have been waiting on their team to address a somewhat glaring position of need.

What exactly is the Vikings’ plan at cornerback?

Analysts have projected strong unsigned veteran options like Asante Samuel Jr. and Rasul Douglas. A potential reunion with Shaq Griffin or Stephon Gilmore? That can’t be ruled out, as both players did their jobs for defensive coordinator Brian Flores in 2024.

But what if GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went bold — as in swapping low-tier draft capital in exchange for Dallas Cowboys franchise cornerback Trevon Diggs?

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report recently named Diggs among his list of veteran players in need of a fresh start. He predicts Diggs could be traded to a cornerback-needy team this season for the bargain price of a 2026 sixth-round pick.

“Dallas added depth at cornerback this offseason by trading for former first-round pick Kaiir Elam and selecting East Carolina's Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round of the draft,” he wrote. “That duo will join DaRon Bland and Israel Mukuamu, who can cover the slot after Jourdan Lewis' departure in free agency.

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“Another team in search of cornerback help should take a flier on Diggs since he's one of the league's biggest defensive playmakers when healthy. A trade would help the Cowboys free up money to re-sign Bland, who is a free agent after the 2025 campaign, or for the mega-extension that edge-rusher Micah Parsons will inevitably sign.”

The Vikings fit the bill as a 2025 contender in need of a boundary cornerback. Minnesota did address the position in free agency, locking up Byron Murphy Jr. long-term while adding a pair of veterans in Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah, but the group remains thin overall with training camp now just around the corner.

Minnesota has some wild-cards at the position, like 2023 third-rounder Mekhi Blackmon (who missed all of 2024 with a knee injury), and the undrafted Dwight McGlothern. The reality here, however? Outside of Murphy, the Vikings don’t have a proven commodity at cornerback, and they surprisingly passed on the addressing the secondary during April’s draft.

A sixth-round pick for a multi-time Pro Bowler like Diggs feels like a no-brainer on paper. His recent injury history is an obvious concern, but if the medicals check out, Diggs could be an attractive trade target, as he’s only entering his age-28 season and has the ball-hawking skills that Flores covets. Diggs has 20 career interceptions in 58 career games.

If there’s a sticking point here, it would be the contract, as Diggs is still in the early stages of a five-year, $97 million extension signed with Dallas in 2023. He’s locked up through the 2028 season, and with no void years on his current deal, the cap hits are hefty, including $12.5 million in 2025, $18.4 million in 2026 and $23.4 million in 2027.

The Vikings only have about $15 million in cap space remaining for 2025. Anything is possible when it comes to the cap, but a move closer to his year’s November trade deadline feels most feasible if the Vikings are in contention and looking for a defensive playmaker to help push them over the top.

If Dallas' young cornerbacks, like third-round rookie Shavon Revel Jr., can catch on quickly, Diggs will be a name to watch on the trade block.

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