The Vikings get the second pick in the first round in a trade with the Texans

The Minnesota Vikings acquired a first-round pick from the Houston Texans on Friday morning in a trade that could be a precursor to moving further in the round to select a quarterback to replace the departed Kirk Cousins.

In the deal, the Vikings acquired the Texans with the No. 23 overall pick as well as a seventh-round pick (No. 232 overall). The Texans received the Vikings' second-round pick (No. 42), their sixth-round pick (No. 188) and their second-round pick in 2025.

The deal preserved the Vikings' first-round pick, No. 11 overall, which they could theoretically pick No. 23 to advance in the round.

Speaking Thursday to reporters in Minnesota, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Cousins' departure did not prevent the team from drafting a quarterback in the first round. The Vikings signed free agent Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract as a potential bridge starter in 2024, and Adofo-Mensah said he believes the team has “the flexibility to go either way.”

“If the opportunity comes where that player is available, we will take it. If it is not available in that sense, we will continue to build and then find potential possibilities for a long-term solution, in addition to that,” he said. “For what we've already presented with Sam and whoever else we ask. So, the answer is not something strict. And part of that is the flexibility that we wanted to build into our plan over the last couple of years.”

However, Friday's move made it clear that Adofo-Mensah wants to at least give himself the opportunity to advance further in the draft as it is possible that none of the teams that own the top three picks – the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots – would be interested in trading because they all They want to draft a quarterback. In this scenario, there could be competition between several teams for the No. 4 pick owned by the Arizona Cardinals, which appears to be going with starter Kyler Murray.