1989 Vikings without Herschel Walker

[CSKreager]

They were 3-2 before said trade and their defense carried heavily vs DET/TB after a week 1 blowout of Houston

But…. Had they not traded for Walker, what do they do in regards to RB? Just ride it out with Dozier/Fenney and maybe lose the division to Green Bay?

There wasn’t another well known RB on the market at the time. The other really good RB’s of that late 80s era with less tread on the tires were not going anywhere

OTOH, they would have those draft picks going into 1990 so

How does that 89 MIN season play out had they not made the trade?

Conversely, does another team panic trade for Herschel because Jimmy clearly wasn’t going to keep him beyond 1989

[SeahawkFever]

I don’t know how much this would change 1989 for the Vikings. Their ceiling was probably being a second round team, maybe conference championship game with the right matchup like the Rams did that year but they weren’t beating San Francisco in the playoffs firing on all cylinders.

That said this probably makes the Vikings more competitive in the early and mid 90’s, and of course it hurts Dallas because they don’t have the same draft capital to work with.

[CSKreager]

I don’t know how much this would change 1989 for the Vikings. Their ceiling was probably being a second round team, maybe conference championship game with the right matchup like the Rams did that year but they weren’t beating San Francisco in the playoffs firing on all cylinders.

That said this probably makes the Vikings more competitive in the early and mid 90’s, and of course it hurts Dallas because they don’t have the same draft capital to work with.

It’s amazing that even without those draft picks Dennis Green was able to make them competitive as they were throughout the 90s.

[Citizen]

Green was a goofball, but he knew how to surround himself with elite coaching talent. His were the only Vikings teams ever to win playoff games four years in a row.

As for Walker, I think Minnesota goes about as far without him as they did with him in 1989. He had little impact in the season-ending win they needed to secure the division, and was a complete non-factor in their one-and-done playoff game.

[ChrisBabcock]

Conversely, does another team panic trade for Herschel because Jimmy clearly wasn’t going to keep him beyond 1989

I think this is an interesting question from the original post. What RB needy team was going to pull the trigger on that blockbuster of a deal? And would that team be duped into the "if a player gets cut he turns into a draft pick" part of the deal like the Vikings did?

[conace21]

Conversely, does another team panic trade for Herschel because Jimmy clearly wasn’t going to keep him beyond 1989

I think this is an interesting question from the original post. What RB needy team was going to pull the trigger on that blockbuster of a deal? And would that team be duped into the "if a player gets cut he turns into a draft pick" part of the deal like the Vikings did?

Cleveland had initially reached out - they needed a running back. Pro Bowl fullback Kevin Mack had undergone knee surgery, and then on October 3rd, he was sentenced to 6 months in jail for cocaine possession. Mack was ordered to begin serving his sentence immediately. (He ended up being released after 1 month.) So Browns GM Ernie Accorsi reached out to the Cowboys to inquire about Walker's availability. Cleveland put a good offer on the table, but the JJ's decided to shop for a better one. They called Minnesota, told Mike Lynn that Walker was available, but they already had a good offer from Cleveland. Lynn faxed in the dynamic proposal within the hour.