Vikings' O'Connell Jokes He Sent Flowers to Patriots Amid 2024 NFL Draft Trade Rumors

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to try to trade up in next week's NFL draft to take a quarterback, and head coach Kevin O'Connell joked about the extreme measures he's taking to get a higher pick.

On Friday, O'Connell joked that he sent New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft some flowers to sweeten the deal on a potential trade.

"You know, I may or may not have sent a nice bouquet of flowers to Robert Kraft the other day," O'Connell said.

It would likely take more than a bouquet of flowers to get the Patriots to trade their No. 3 pick, but it would certainly get Kraft's attention.

The Vikings currently have the No. 11 pick in the draft, but would likely need to get a higher pick to get one of the top quarterbacks. Standouts like USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels are all projected to go inside the top three in Bleacher Report's latest mock draft.

Minnesota could settle for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, but he could also be a top-10 pick with a quarterback-needy team in the New York Giants holding the No. 6 pick. Other quarterbacks that could be available include Oregon's Bo Nix, Washington's Michael Penix Jr. or South Carolina's Spencer Rattler.

The Vikings are looking to find their next franchise quarterback after Kirk Cousins departed for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, and a big trade to get a higher pick might be necessary.