NFL Trade Rumors: What Trade for Donovan McNabb Would Mean for Minnesota Vikings

The world of NFL trade rumors is abuzz with news that Sports Illustrated football columnist Peter King thinks Minnesota "makes the most sense" as a possible destination for Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb.

The six-time Pro Bowler had the worst season of his career in his first year with the Redskins, throwing for a respectable 3,149 yards but finishing with more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (12) for the first time in his 12-year NFL career.

McNabb butted heads with Washington head coach Mike Shanahan while simultaneously struggling with nagging injuries, ultimately losing the starting job to career underachiever Rex Grossman.

Pros

On the surface, this deal makes sense for all parties involved.

For the Redskins, dumping Donovan McNabb for a mid-round pick—likely a conditional third or fourth rounder—would essentially serve as a mulligan for Shanahan, who took something of a gamble in acquiring McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles just a year ago. Though the 'Skins would still be losers in the grand scheme of things, they'd at least get something in return to mitigate the abject failure of the original trade.

For the Vikings, acquiring McNabb would give the team a veteran presence and a mobile quarterback with the poise to play and the experience of playing successfully behind a shoddy offensive line like the one the Vikes currently sport.

Additionally, having a quarterback like McNabb around would allow the coaching staff to groom Joe Webb or a potential draftee to take over the starting job down the line, when the new quarterback is prepared and when the team's offensive line has been effectively rebuilt.

Most importantly, McNabb, more so than Webb or any other rookie quarterback, would give Leslie Frazier's team the best chance to win next season. Despite a disappointing 6-10 finish in 2010, Minnesota's roster is still stacked with talent, especially on defense...and, of course, don't forget about All-World running back Adrian Peterson.

Add in a competent quarterback, like McNabb presumably would be should the Vikings decide to trade for him, and Minny's team becomes a playoff contender again.

Which is what's most important to Donovan as well. After all, McNabb isn't getting any younger, as he's set to turn 35 during the upcoming season. Certainly, he would love nothing more than another shot at playoff glory after coming up short so many times before in the NFL postseason.

Though some might assume, based on last season's performance, that McNabb is no longer an effective NFL quarterback, he does have a tremendous track record from his time in Philadelphia to support him. In particular, McNabb is fourth best in the history of the NFL in career interception percentage, with only 2.2 percent of his passes ending up in the hands of his opponents.

Cons

So why don't the two teams just make a deal then?

Well, for one, dumping McNabb just a year after acquiring him probably wouldn't go over so well with Redskins fans, many of whom were eternally optimistic when the acquisition was first announced.

Also, trading away McNabb would leave Washington with a dangerously shallow pool of quarterbacks to work with. More specifically, without McNabb, the 'Skins would have only Grossman and former BYU quarterback John Beck to help the team improve on an underwhelming 6-10 record in 2010.

That scenario wouldn't likely appeal to Shanahan, tense as his relationship with McNabb may be, as a lack of quarterbacking talent wouldn't do much to stave off another losing season, which, furthermore, wouldn't bode well for Shanahan's own job security.

In essence, then, Shanahan may neglect to trade McNabb anywhere, even if he can get a good quarterback in the NFL draft, out of a sense of football self-preservation.

For the Vikings, there's certainly no guarantee that McNabb, approaching the age of 35, would be anything close to the McNabb of old, and thus he is anything but a sure thing to lead Minnesota back to the postseason. Additionally, effective or no, more playing time for McNabb would necessarily mean less for Webb or any rookie, thereby stunting the growth and development of whoever is to lead the Vikings offense for the foreseeable future.

For McNabb himself, there's the issue of personal pride. Like any high-level athlete, D-Mac certainly possesses some sense of personal pride in his performance. As such, it would be reasonable to suggest that he wouldn't be too keen on being perceived as a failure, a one-year blunder per se, regardless of how unfavorable the circumstances may be.

Should This Deal Happen?

So should the Vikings reach out to the Redskins in an effort to bring in Donovan McNabb?

In short, yes.

As valuable as any draft pick may be, it's incumbent on the Vikings to do everything they can to win now with the roster full of talented veterans that they have. Leslie Frazier and co. would be wise to explore all of their options in filling the void at quarterback to improve their ability to win games before Adrian Peterson's career flames out, as is typically the case with running backs, regardless of how tremendously gifted they may be.

In Washington, where the relationship between Shanahan and McNabb is already strained, it doesn't really make that much sense to hang on to a guy who clearly is not a good fit for the team going forward, regardless of how thin the team may be at the position. The 'Skins would be much better served to cut their losses and move on with an actual rebuilding process rather than to hang on and hope they have enough to sneak their way into the playoffs.

As far as McNabb is concerned, he could certainly use a fresh start, and having a 'back like Peterson behind him would do wonders to relieve him of the burden to do everything to help his team win that weighed him down in Philly and that led to such unrealistic expectations upon arrival in D.C.

Finally, will such a deal happen?

Only time will tell.