Minnesota Vikings: Is Yannick Ngakoue trade just the beginning?

Is trading Yannick Ngakoue just the start of selling big for the Minnesota Vikings?

The Minnesota Vikings appear to be looking to sell players prior to the 2020 NFL trade deadline in a few weeks.

On Thursday, the Vikings traded away a player they just acquired at the start of the season when they sent defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a few draft picks.

In the trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Minnesota will be getting a 2021 third-round draft pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round draft pick in exchange for the defensive end, which the organization traded for at the start of the 2020 campaign with questions surrounding Danielle Hunter and his injury status.

Leading to the start of the regular season, the Vikings traded for a frustrated Ngakoue, sending a 2021 second-round draft pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to bring Ngakoue to Minnesota.

According to Schefter, Baltimore had interest in Ngakoue in the past, trying to acquire the 25-year-old defensive end “multiple times in recent months.” That feeling is reportedly mutual, as Schefter added Ngakoue had hoped he would eventually land in Baltimore.

Ngakoue didn’t necessarily make a huge impact in six games with the Vikings, starting in five of those six contests on the defensive line while recording 12 tackles, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, five sacks along with two forced fumbles.

It has become clear, however, that Minnesota wouldn’t likely be willing to pay the defensive end moving forward which might have sparked the trade to get as much possible in return. That mixed with the fact the purple and gold have struggled this season, entering the Week 7 bye at 1-5 overall, makes this move understandable.

With Ngakoue somewhat surprisingly on his way out just six games into his tenure with the Vikings, is Minnesota just getting the ball rolling as sellers ahead of the Nov. 3 Trade Deadline? This might just be the beginning of a tear down for the purple and gold.

More trades coming for the Minnesota Vikings to garner draft picks?

A few other players that could end up seeing their way out of Minnesota before the trade deadline in early November could include the likes of Vikings offensive tackle Riley Reiff, veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph, safety Anthony Harris and perhaps others.

Minnesota already entered the 2020 season in a rough position salary cap-wise, which makes them being sellers more and more likely as the losses continue to pile up in the regular season and the recent championship window for this team nearing a close.

The Ngakoue trade was somewhat surprising the fact that Minnesota just traded for him a little over six weeks ago and he appeared to be a solid fit on the other side of the defensive line when Hunter ultimately returned to the field.

But Ngakoue is now gone. And this might just be the beginning for the Vikings in them selling off players leading into the trade deadline while trying to regroup and focus on the future of the organization.