The Minnesota Vikings take a 6-1 record into their Monday Night Football matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Hopefully, the press box at U.S. Bank Stadium has stocked up on coffee because there will be no sleep for the front office tonight, not with the NFL trade deadline scheduled for 3 p.m. CT the very next day.

While all eyes are on how new GM Nolan Teasley will fix the offense, beating the Bills will rely yet again on the defense, which through seven games ranks first in the NFL in opponent passer rating (64.9), completion rate allowed (56.2%) and passing touchdowns allowed (four).

Tonight they’ll be a bit short in that secondary, though, specifically at safety where both Theo Jackson (quad) and Jay Ward (knee) are questionable. Of course, that’s a short-term problem.

The bigger concerns at that position are long-term where the MN Vikings do not have a plan beyond 2026 when Harrison Smith plans to retire and Josh Metellus has no guaranteed money after this season.

Minnesota Vikings could look for safety help

That brings us back to tomorrow’s NFL trade deadline, where on Sunday Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) reported that the Vikings plan to be active, specifically listing four non-QB positions where Teasley is looking to improve, one of which was safety. The other three were running back, offensive line and defensive line.

When Goessling got to safety, his only proposed targets were two very big names. While he wouldn’t bet on Minnesota making a blockbuster trade in the secondary, he says a possible move to land Budda Baker (Arizona) or Antoine Winfield Jr. (Tampa Bay) is worth watching.

If the Cardinals were willing to part with Budda Baker, the eight-time Pro Bowl player would be a fascinating piece in Brian Flores’ defense. The 30-year-old is under contract for $16.075 million in 2027, but he would have only $1 million in guaranteed money for the Vikings’ purposes. It’s tough to imagine the Vikings taking that big of a swing for a player like Baker — or Antoine Winfield Jr., if they wanted to bring the Buccaneers safety back to his hometown — but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Vikings interested in Budda Baker?

Budda Baker is a four-time All-Pro selection with 62 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in nine starts this season. According to Over The Cap, none of Baker’s 2027 money is guaranteed. The $1 million Goessling mentions is a roster bonus due in March.

The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, are flailing again at 3-6, and they’ve already been selling, trading Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston a couple weeks ago and QB Jacoby Brissett to Baltimore more recently.

Baker said in late October that he’d like to stay put: “hopefully when the deadline ends, I’ll still be here. If not, I mean, it’s a business.”

Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) added Monday morning that Baker would welcome the chance to play for a contender if Arizona entertains talks, which he called a “big if.” Fowler also mentioned that the Bills, Minnesota’s opponent tonight, have scanned the safety pool too.

Antoine Winfield Jr., you say?

Obviously, trading for either Baker or Winfield Jr would get the fanbase excited. But the latter would hit different. Antoine Winfield Jr. grew up in Eden Prairie and he was a unanimous All-American with the Gophers in 2019. Oh, and his father, Antoine Winfield Sr., played for the Vikings from 2004 to 2012.

With the Bucs, Winfield has two Pro Bowls and a 2023 first-team All-Pro nod, and he’s younger than Baker, at 28 years old. We made the case for adding the Dinkytown legend as a MN Vikings trade deadline target in October.

Winfield hurt his ankle Sunday night at Chicago, and Ian Rapoport (NFL Network) reported he was ruled out for the rest of the game. There’s no timeline yet, which could hinder any chances the Vikings actually move in.

Trading Winfield now would also leave the Bucs with $27.86 million in dead money this season, according to Over The Cap. Minnesota has about $6.2 million in cap space.