After the Vikings’ 1-5 start, the team decided to get rid of a premier talent on a one-year deal: Yannick Ngakoue.
Minnesota traded Ngakoue to the Ravens for ostensibly less than what it gave up for him originally. Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer recently talked about the trade.
“At the end of the day, we sat down and discussed it and we felt like this time it was best for the organization overall,” Zimmer said, via the Vikings’ Twitter account. “We’ve lost a few good players this year, so that part is just what it is.”
Zimmer saying that the team losing players contributed to the trade is pretty significant.
I mean, it makes sense when you think about it: Ngakoue is on a hot streak and the Vikings are struggling this year. But still, it’s refreshing to hear a team talk about how Minnesota losing other talent made it so that Ngakoue was expendable.
As great as it would have been to have Ngakoue and Danielle Hunter coming off the edge, if Ngakoue wasn’t going to re-sign, this move makes sense.