GM Nolan Teasley has said that he’s committed to keeping his finger on the pulse for the NFL’s trade chatter. Does that mean he’ll be checking in with the Tennessee Titans about available talent?
A Vikings rumor is connecting Minnesota to veteran running back Tony Pollard. He is languishing on an 0-4 Titans team that’s going nowhere. As a result, the PFF insistence that Minnesota could pull off a move for Pollard has at least some merit.
Recent weeks have seen Aaron Jones playing some really good football. What’s of some concern is whether he’ll continue being able to play good football.
At 31, Jones is quickly approaching the category of “ancient,” at least in the world of NFL running backs. Worse yet, Jones has worked through various injuries in his career, including a 2025 season that saw him struggle to stay out of the infirmary.
He has been hit a ton due to taking on a beefy workload after Minnesota lost Jordan Mason to the IR. Jones has carried the ball 72 times for 297 yards and 1 touchdown. And then there are 9 catches for 68 yards. Doing the math means seeing 81 touches for Jones — not including his pass blocking reps — across four games. Do a bit more math and that’s north of 20 touches a game. That’s a ton. Re-adding Mason in Week 7 will make a huge difference, but there’s still a lingering issue: losing either of Jones or Mason leaves the Vikings in a tricky spot. DeeJay Dallas is mostly in town for special teams work while Demond Claiborne has struggled out there.
So, a Vikings rumor about pulling off a trade makes at least some sense.
PFF jumps into the mix, uplifting Tony Pollard as an example of an attractive trade candidate. Some of the rationale: “After an offseason filled with questions about his role — let alone if he’d remain a Titan — Pollard has started the 2026 campaign in effective fashion. His 73.6 PFF rushing grade ranks 11th out of 30 running backs with at least 44 carries. While Pollard is more below-average in gaining yards after contact or breaking off long runs, he has secured 10 first downs and is yet to fumble.”
More: “The Titans look like one of few surefire sellers, and Pollard could finally be on the move in the final year of his contract.”
Pollard, 29, is sitting atop 54 carries for 221 yards and 1 touchdown. That’s a 4.1 yards-per-carry average. He then has 8 catches for 24 yards. Pretty modest, albeit within the context of a Tennessee team that’s terrible. Note that he has cleared 1,000 yards in every season from 2022-2025.
The same PFF article then connects Pollard to the Vikings, listing Minnesota among the “possible fits.” Again, that makes good sense.
Right now, Pollard is operating on the final year of a three-year agreement he signed with Tennessee back in 2024. His cap charge sits at $9,250,000 (OTC); a portion of that would stick behind in Tennessee if there were a trade. So, on a financial basis, Pollard is affordable.
And then the rationale that PFF is using is sound. Tennessee isn’t going to accomplish anything in 2026. Moving off of a solid veteran in a contract year is what’s best for the franchise. All they could reasonably hope for is a Day 3 pick. Minnesota, meanwhile, is looking to win now. The defense and special teams are elite. The offense hasn’t been very good, but they’ve been looking to run the football more than in the past. Pollard can run and catch, so he would keep the team unpredictable when he’s out there.
Check out the Vikings’ overall draft pick total in 2027. Minnesota’s GM can lean on some of these resources for what he needs to pull off a deal.
The NFL trade deadline arrives on November 10th.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
A Vikings Rumor: Tony Pollard as an Answer at RB
