I don't believe the Vikings wanted Fields at #8, here's why

There are 6 players who the Vikings technically could have been targeting.
Jaycee Horn
Surtain
DeVonta Smith
Fields
Micah Parson
Rashawn Slater

It obviously wasn't Smith, there is not a big enough need for them to trade up for him.

It could have been Surtain or Horn, the Vikings have a huge need at CB and both fit in Zimmer's scheme. However, I don't think Rick would like the optics of taking another 1st round CB, let alone trading up for one, while continuing to ignore the Oline. Plus, if they did make an offer to the Giants, both of those guys were gone then so I don't think they were the targets.

So that leaves Fields, Parsons and Slater.

Zimmer will be desperate to replace Barr, knowing that he is gone next seasons and Parsons would do that. I think he is a strong possibility.

The Vikings spent their second highest draft pick on a QB, which means they saw QB as a need and want an option to move on from Cousins. Fields would have energized a fanbase that has resigned itself to never winning it all with the current QB and been a huge PR win for the GM.

Slater was a need, but I think the Vikings could have had him for what they were offering Carolina, if they had offered the same to Dallas. They didn't end up trading with Dallas, which likely means Slater wasn't the target.

I think the order of likelihood of who the Vikes were targeting goes as follows (from most to least):
Fields
Parsons
Slater
Surtain
Horn
Smith


As for the offer itself, remember, that is the Vikings' starting offer. We know they refused to budge on the 1st next year, but it could, and likely is the case, that they would have been willing to offer either their first 3rd this year or their 2nd next instead of that 4th.

I don't know. I think the Vikings could have been after Fields but that Spielman looked at past trades and felt he made a decent offer ...

2016 Draft
Cleveland traded its first- and sixth-round selections (8th and 176th) to Tennessee in exchange for Tennessee's first- and third-round selections (15th and 76th) as well as its 2017 second-round selection.

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
8 : 1400 : 406
176 : 19.4 : 7
Total : 1419.4 : 413

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
15 : 1050 : 315
76 : 210 : 61
Total : 1260 : 376

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2017 Draft
Buffalo traded a first-round selection (10th) to Kansas City in exchange for Kansas City's first- and third-round selections (27th and 91st), as well as a first-round selection in 2018.

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
10 : 1300 : 369

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
27 : 680 : 216
91 : 136 : 44
2018 1st : 420 : 121
Total : 1236 : 381

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2018 Draft
Tampa Bay traded first- and seventh-round selections (7th and 255th) to Buffalo in exchange for Buffalo's first-round selection (12th) and two second-round selections (53rd and 56th).

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
7 : 1500 : 426
255 : 1 : 1
Total : 1501 : 427

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
12 : 1200 : 347
53 : 370 : 106
56 : 340 : 98
Total : 1910 : 551

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Oakland traded a first-round selection (10th) to Arizona in exchange for Arizona's first-, third-, and fifth-round selections (15th, 79th, and 152nd).

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
10 : 1300 : 369

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
15 : 1050 : 315
79 : 195 : 57
152 : 29 : 12
Total : 1274 : 384

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2019 Draft
Denver traded a first-round selection (10th) to Pittsburgh in exchange for Pittsburgh's first- and second-round selections (20th and 52nd) as well as their third-round selection in 2020.

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
10 : 1300 : 369

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
20 : 850 : 269
52 : 380 : 109
Total : 1230 : 378

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Vikings porported offer

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
8 : 1400 : 406

Pick : Jimmy J : Rich Hill
14 : 1100 : 325
90 : 140 : 45
143 : 34.5 : 15
Total : 1274.5 : 385

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I think the Vikings offer was pretty close to fair compared to these past trades.

Maybe the Vikings would have had to give up 78 instead of 90 and 119 instead of 143?
That would have been 1400 points to 1356 points.

This offer we are being told about may have been the opening for negotiations.

The Panthers were likely hoping the Vikings were desperate and would give up a 2022 first instead of the rest.

The Vikings put up a fair trade, and it was not accepted.

It may have ended up just as well for the Vikings.

Personally I think they should have traded up for him. The odds of either Mond or Fields being above average starters is pretty low, but Fields odds are higher. I don't like being pinned to Cousins anymore and Mond doesn't do a lot to change that.

I agree the Vikings put up a great trade offer.   No teams wanted to help the Vikings.   I recalled in 1999 NFL Draft the Vikings tried to trade with Tennessee Titans to draft Jevon Kearse after they drafted Daunte Culpepper.  I think Titans GM Diamond was one who rejected the trade offer.   He used to work with the Vikings.  He must have had grudges against the Vikings.   

I know in the past drafts the Lynx and Cheryl Reeves did tried to trade up several times, but was told the Lynx was too good team.  

yeah, just because the offer wasn't spectacular doesn't mean they didn't want him... that's what they were willing to pay to get him (and the offer was fair), and it wasn't enough. In the end, they got a similar ceiling prospect (though a lower floor) for a lot less draft capital. Given Cousins is under contract for 2 more years and is quite tradeable, I'm quite fine that they did what they did.

Time will tell if it works, but I think Rick played this one smart.