Monday Morning Mailbag: Reaction to Ngakoue Trade & Vikings Focus

[Viktor]

Do you think it was a good idea to trade Yannick Ngakoue? Although he hasn't produced as expected during this season, I still think we should've kept him. Was the trade fair on both sides?


— Doreon in Minnesota


I think everyone is overreacting to this trade. Although Yannick is a great player, he was not part of the foundation of Mike Zimmer's defense. The Vikings still have a few young D-line players who are [part of that foundation], and will step up for the challenge.


— Peter Westmoreland


The Vikings certainly made some headlines by trading Ngakoue on Thursday morning, a little more than seven weeks after initially acquiring him from the Jaguars.


And with multiple fans emailing in about that topic, let's start off by analyzing that decision.


When the Vikings lost at home to the Falcons in embarrassing fashion in Week 6, the team's already-slim playoff hopes took a big hit. I alluded to this in the last Monday Morning Mailbag, but when you drop to 1-5, there likely needs to be an eye on the future going forward. And in this case, the future means 2021 and beyond.


In trading Ngakoue, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman chose to do just that. To recap, Ngakoue was scheduled to be a free agent at the end of this season, so there was no guarantee he would remain in Minnesota going forward. And he has been the Vikings most productive defensive lineman so far, recording a team-high 5.0 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.


The initial plan, of course, was to pair Ngakoue with Danielle Hunter and have a formidable pass-rushing duo. Unfortunately, that duo never saw the field together.


So, Spielman chose to trade Ngakoue to Baltimore and get what he could for the defensive end, even if it was a hit in draft compensation that Minnesota originally sent to Jacksonville. Once again, the team is likely looking at things in a different lens than they were a few weeks ago, and certainly from a different perspective than they were at the start of the 2020. That means young players such as D.J. Wonnum will have a larger role going forward, perhaps even in a starting role in Week 8.


And as Spielman himself said Thursday, it's his job to look at what is best for the Vikings in both the short and long-term.


Spielman also said Thursday that no players have come to him to request a trade. But with the trade deadline a week from tomorrow, there's a chance that the Ngakoue trade is the first of many for the Vikings.


If that does indeed in up being the case, then the chance to stock up on draft picks means the franchise has accepted the fact that the 2020 season won't include a playoff berth, and that the focus has indeed turned to the future.