What If The Minnesota Vikings Pursued A Trade For Tom Savage?

With news breaking Monday that the Minnesota Vikings will be forced to play the 2016 season without Teddy Bridgewater, who suffered a significant knee injury during practice, there is growing speculation about trade possibilities to bolster their quarterback position.

Gregg Rosenthal provided some insight as to what the Vikings have with Shaun Hill stepping in to replace Teddy:

Hill has unfortunately been in this situation before. He started 10 games for the Lions in 2010 after Matthew Stafford hurt his shoulder. Hill didn't make another NFL start until 2014 when he stepped in after Sam Bradford tore his ACL for St. Louis in the preseason.

His Rams experience there should be instructive for Minnesota. Hill didn't make it through Week 1 before hurting his thigh. He eventually got his job back at midseason and played like a replacement level starter for eight games. He gave the Rams a boost in a few games but he committed some untimely errors and failed to lead the Rams to a touchdown in two of the team's final three games.

This Vikings team is superior to that Rams squad, but Hill is two years older. There's no telling if he can be a passable starter now, much less hold up over 17 weeks. Hill has one of the weakest arms in football. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner will have to get rid of a lot of those vertical routes Bridgewater was working on all offseason. They won't be able to take those shots that loosen up opposing defenses. They will count on Adrian Peterson and their stout front seven to overcome a tough situation more than ever.

The Vikings also know they can't assume Hill will stay healthy. Rookie Joel Stave had impressed enough to possibly make the roster, but asking him to start games is asking too much. A veteran will be on the way.

When Tarvaris Jackson and T.J. Yates are the best free agents out there, we believe it would be worth it for Minnesota to make a low-cost move for a veteran.

That doesn’t sound too promising. In fact, it sounds like the Vikings should be working the phones day and night to get another quarterback to Minnesota with the same sense of urgency displayed by Sully Sullenberger when he successfully guided US Airways Flight 1549 to a safe water landing on the Hudson River.

Another article on NFL.com suggested this list of potential options for Minnesota:

Josh McCown, Browns

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers

Mark Sanchez, Broncos

Geno Smith, Jets

EJ Manuel, Bills

Mike Glennon, Bucs

Mike Vick, free agent

Austin Davis, free agent

Even though he's not listed above, the QB2 for the Texans hasn't escaped notice from every pundit speculating about what the Vikings could do to address Bridgewater's absence.

Depending upon severity of Teddy Bridgewater's knee injury, best backup QB I saw all offseason was Tom Savage of #Texans. Worth trading for.

— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) August 30, 2016

I am surprised that Tom Savage’s name hasn't been a bigger part of the rampant speculation. Then again, other teams have seen the hot mess resulting from lackluster Houston quarterback performances the last couple of seasons; they may assume anyone who couldn’t beat those guys out for the job isn’t worth considering.

And yet, Tom Savage is having a very solid preseason as he enters the third year of his NFL career. Granted, much of that success is against backup players of the opponents, but Savage has looked sharper and quicker with his progressions and execution than he has in the past. It seems like that would warrant a call to Rick Smith.

Let’s say that happened. What if the Vikings offered a second round draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft for Tom Savage? Would you be in favor of letting Tom go to Minnesota for a future second round pick, or would you want to hold on to him as Brock Osweiler's backup?  Would you let Savage go for something less than a second-rounder?

Vote below and share your thoughts.

Texans vs Cowboys coverage