With Kirk Cousins out for the year, the Minnesota Vikings are acquiring veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the NFL's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.
The Vikings traded a 2024 sixth-round pick to acquire Dobbs while the Cardinals sent a 2024 seventh-round pick to Minnesota as part of the deal. There are conditions that would possibly turn the seventh-round pick the Cardinals sent the Vikings into a sixth-round pick, according to ESPN.
Dobbs, who was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Cardinals on Aug. 24, is being traded again after he recently lost his starting job to rookie Clayton Tune. Dobbs started eight games for the Cardinals this season while accumulating a 1-7 record in those games.
The 28-year-old quarterback is now headed to Minnesota after Cousins tore his Achilles during this past Sunday's win over the Green Bay Packers. Despite losing Cousins, the Vikings held on to win the game while evening their record to 4-4 after a 1-3 start. Rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall replaced Cousins on Sunday and went 3 of 4 for 23 yards.
In Dobbs, the Vikings are getting a veteran quarterback who has seven years of NFL experience. Dobbs started his career in Pittsburgh before receiving his first two career regular season starts with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
An actual rocket scientist, Dobbs has had several internships with NASA. He earned a degree in aerospace engineering at Tennessee while also going 3-0 in bowl games as the Volunteers' quarterback.
So, who won the trade? Let's find out
Vikings: A
Big props to the Vikings for making the most of a tough situation after losing Cousins, who was in the midst of another prolific season. While Dobbs isn't Cousins, he is an experienced player who recently started in eight games for the Cardinals.
An extremely intelligent person, it shouldn't take Dobbs too long to learn the Vikings' offense. In the meantime, the Vikings will plan to roll with Hall for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Dobbs' numbers weren't great in Arizona, but he didn't have much to work with, especially with James Conner and Zach Ertz's injuries. That won't be the case in Minnesota, where Dobbs will have tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie wideout Jordan Addison at his disposal.
Cardinals: D
This was a meh trade for Arizona. While a sixth-round pick is something, one would think that the Cardinals could have gotten more for a quarterback who had very recently been a starter. The fact that the Cardinals had to include one of their own picks makes it that much worse.
Arizona may have been wiser to keep Dobbs given the fact that Tune is a rookie who has taken just one career regular season snap. Kyler Murray's expected return likely contributed to the Cardinals being willing to part with Dobbs. Either way, the Cardinals should have gotten more out of this deal.
