The Arizona Cardinals are open for business with the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
“We’re always going to be listening,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll always have the conversation. We may not get to a point where the deal makes sense, whether it’s at No. 4 or anywhere we’re picking, but we’re always going to have the conversation.”
If the Cardinals are willing to move back in the NFL Draft, there are several teams who make sense as trade partners, aiming to move up to select their preferred quarterback after the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, and New England Patriots presumably tab their quarterbacks of the future.
Three Teams Who Could Trade Up in The NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings are posturing to trade up for a quarterback, following a deal with the Houston Texans to acquire additional draft capital.
Even after signing Sam Darnold in free agency, quarterback remains a pressing need for the Vikings if Minnesota has any designs on competing in the NFC North in 2024.
Following the Vikings’ deal with the Texans, Adofo-Mensah and Minnesota are armed with the No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks in the first round. Minnesota’s pair of first-round picks carry 2,010 points of value on the famous “Jimmy Johnson” trade value chart, which on their own is plenty of ammunition to acquire the No. 4 overall pick that is worth 1,800 points.
A trade with the Vikings could also position the Cardinals to move back up the board to nab a top receiver such as Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., or LSU’s Malik Nabers.
New York Giants
Despite public comments to the contrary, the New York Giants have to be at least looking for GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll’s handpicked quarterback, in a pivotal third season for the franchise’s power brokers.
New York could risk sitting at No. 6 overall hoping that either Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or Duke’s Drake Maye fall into their laps. But, this feels like a spot where Schoen can be a little aggressive.
The No. 6 selection in the NFL Draft is worth 1,600 points, and the New York Giants would obviously need to sweeten the pot to move up four selections, but it could prove worthwhile for the trajectory of the franchise to ensure emerging from this year’s draft with one of the top quarterbacks in tow.
Las Vegas Raiders
Despite signing Gardner Minshew to a two-year contract worth $25 million, it’s difficult to picture the Raiders still not looking to upgrade the quarterback position during the NFL Draft.
Minshew could conceivably be a bridge to whichever top quarterback the Raiders ultimately select in the draft.
However, it would take significant draft capital for the Raiders to move up the NFL Draft board all the way to the No. 4 selection, from the 13th pick, which is only worth 1,150 points on the value chart. The Raiders could certainly put together a solid package that includes future first-round selections, but if the Cardinals have willing dance partners further up the board, a trade out of the top-10 could prove a tough sell.
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