Why the Vikings absolutely must draft a QB in first round

As the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday approaches, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in a deep hole. Kirk Cousins, their starting quarterback for the past six years, is now with the Atlanta Falcons, leaving Minnesota with few good options at the position.

In the offseason, Minnesota signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract, making him QB1 on the depth chart in front of Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. That trio easily makes the conversation for the most underwhelming signal-caller room in the league.

What makes the need for a franchise quarterback even more pressing is keeping wide receiver Justin Jefferson, a generational talent, happy in his last year under contract. He's currently playing under his fifth-year option and is set to make $19.743 million, per Spotrac. 

That's a bargain price considering former Vikings GM Jeff Diamond predicted for The 33rd Team that Jefferson can make an annual salary of $35 million in his new contract.

Even if Minnesota offered that amount to Jefferson, he very well might decline it due to the state of the current roster.

"In my opinion, the only way you can realistically approach Justin [for an extension] is for him to know who his quarterback is this year and 2025 and 2026 and beyond," ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL QB, said Tuesday during a segment on "NFL Live." "I think that's gotta be on Minnesota's mind as well. You're not going to keep Justin Jefferson with that giant question mark [at QB]."

If that is the case, Minnesota must get one of the top QBs in the draft in the first round.

Luckily for Vikings fans, that may be in the works. On Wednesday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported the Vikings want to trade up to select North Carolina's Drake Maye.

To pull that off, Minnesota probably would have to trade both of its first-round picks (Nos. 11 and 23) and possibly more. But if it means retaining a wide receiver who is just 24 and already on a Hall of Fame pace, that's a bargain.