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Wide receiver Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders.
The Minnesota Vikings face several issues in the wide receiver room as the regular season approaches, which have the team in the market for a new pass-catcher.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Wednesday, August 20, that Minnesota is among three premier NFL franchises hunting for help in the position group.
The Jets are among several teams monitoring the trade market for potential wide receiver additions, per sources. The 49ers and Vikings are also making calls.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 20, 2025
“The Jets are among several teams monitoring the trade market for potential wide receiver additions, per sources,” Russini wrote on X. “The 49ers and Vikings are also making calls.”
Jordan Addison, Minnesota’s No. 2 wideout, will miss the first three games of the regular season due to a suspension from the league following an issue involving a DUI in Los Angeles in July of 2024. Meanwhile, the Vikings’ No. 3 receiver, Jalen Nailor, is currently battling a hand injury.
“Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell called WR Jalen Nailor ‘week to week,'” Lewis reported via X on August 18. “Says Nailor is still going through plan of approach with the jammed hand from Thursday.”
Superstar and WR1 Justin Jefferson has dealt with a nagging hamstring issue this preseason, though he is likely to be ready to go come Week 1 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday, September 8.
All things considered, Minnesota is likely to to pursue a starting-caliber receiver to fill a role for approximately the first month of the season and potentially provide depth after that. Thus, WR2s and WR3s who might be available at a reasonable price make the most sense.
However, the Vikings have the opportunity now for a much grander play by making an offer to the Washington Commanders for two-time Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin, who wants a new deal and has asked his team for a trade.
Vikings Don’t Necessarily Need Terry McLaurin, but He Would Render Wide Receiver Room Unquestionably Elite
GettyWashington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin is entering the final season of his three-year, $68 million contract and is looking for a raise potentially into the range of $35 million or more annually.
He will turn 30 years old early in the upcoming campaign, which is a contributing factor to the current negotiation standstill between the wideout and his organization.
However, McLaurin also just earned his first All-Pro honors in 2024 on the strength of his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season and a career-high 13 touchdown catches. As one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the NFL over the last half-decade, and at a premier position no less, McLaurin has a strong argument to cash in. If Washington won’t pay him, McLaurin will then have a strong case to push for a trade to a destination that will.
The Vikings don’t have to be that team considering that Jefferson, Addison and two-time Pro-Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson are all on the roster, but it’s a big-swing move Minnesota could potentially afford.
Vikings Will Have Difficult Time Matching Terry McLaurin’s Trade Value
GettyWiide receiver Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders.
The first consideration is McLaurin’s salary in 2025. That’s easy for Minnesota to deal with, as the Vikings have nearly $26.5 million in salary cap space at their disposal as of Wednesday.
Secondly, the team must consider what it would have to trade Washington to land McLaurin. This is where things start to get tricky, as the Commanders were in the NFC Championship Game last season behind the play of standout rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington is looking for win-now pieces, not just draft capital — particularly if the franchise is dealing away its best receiver.
Common trade package estimations value McLaurin in the range of a second- or third-round pick, plus a starting-caliber receiver. A couple of third-rounders might do the trick if the Commanders weren’t so competitive in 2024, but Minnesota would probably have to come up with an offensive playmaker to include in any deal alongside a solid draft asset.
The best the Vikings can do is probably something like a second-round pick and Nailor, but it’s hard to see the Commanders biting on that. Another option is to deal Addison for McLaurin straight up, or possibly with a mid-round draft pick also coming back the Vikings’ way in the deal.
Vikings Could Explore Trade Swapping Jordan Addison for Terry McLaurin
GettyWide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings.
Addison has been a good player for Minnesota over his first two years in the league. That said, he’s dealt with a couple off-field incidents and is still clearly a step below McLaurin as an on-field talent.
The opposing issue is that Addison is seven years younger and still on a rookie-scale contract for the next two seasons, with a fifth-year team option available for pick up next spring. So while trading Addison for McLaurin would a step forward for Minnesota on the field, it’s more of a short-sighted move due to expense.
Also, Minnesota doesn’t know yet what it has in second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy — still yet to start his first game as a pro. It’s unlikely McCarthy will be elite in what is essentially his rookie campaign, so keeping the younger and cheaper Addison on the roster over the slightly better McLaurin makes more sense for the team’s timeline.
But if the Vikings can figure out an offer that doesn’t include Addison and that the Commanders will accept, it’s something the franchise should seriously consider. A receiver trio of Jefferson, McLaurin and Addison would be any QB’s dream and certainly help McCarthy transition to the NFL game and hit his ceiling as fast as possible.
Minnesota is currently facing a nearly $57 million cap deficit in 2026, so adding McLaurin on a pricey new deal that kicks in then would be tricky for the Vikings. It would also mean the team would pay its top two WRs approximately $65 million annually moving forward.
That is something Minnesota can theoretically do, as the Cincinnati Bengals are paying Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins a combined $69 million in annual average salary based on the new contracts they each signed this offseason.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
