Mount Rushmore of Vikings Villains

Thanks.  I actually had never read any of that.  I was just there at the time.  We all knew that a) the Vikings were the absolute cheapest team in the league and would do anything to save a buck and that b) Lynn was a really slippery guy who had finagled his way into a financially rewarding position with the Vikings.  I was firmly convinced that any major moves by the team had nothing to do with winning and everything to do with the bottom line.  Fortunately, after Red McCheap came and went, we are left with the Wilfs.  It's night and day for any long term fans watching the ledger.  Now we just need to figure out who the next Coach Ditka is.

Great research and really interesting!. I’m still doubtful (as with any conspiracy theory), but the NFL was becoming an overly powerful business around that time, so..

But a lot of it is damn thin. Vikings getting a SB in their stadium? That became a reward for cities that funded new stadiums. Did the Wilfs pull some lopsided trade to get the 2018 SB? I’m also not sure running the WLAF (for a matter of months) was a “reward”.

And I lived through that trade too, and I know 99.99% of Vikings fans thought it was the greatest move in team history. Since, most are looking to rewrite their own minds and assign blame. It failed, as many trades do. Did Lynn also tell Burns to misuse Walker? Did the league know the Cowboys would use those draft picks more successfully than teams do on average? A big part of this theory is an attempt to deny Jimmy Johnson’s skill - more fun to act like he had such an unfair gift of draft picks that any idiot could have rebuilt the Cowboys.

I also factor that Lynn sure seemed to be acting in this team’s best interest when he aggressively pursued Anthony Carter and Gary Zimmerman when the USFL folded in 1985. To the point of the OP, it’s just sour grapes to call Lynn a villain of this franchise.

Just to add to the Walker trade. The biggest victim might well have been Jerry Burns...RIP.
He never wanted it. He certainly didn't want to gut his teams depth. Then have an I formation power rusher forced on him. He was more a situational RB type. He didn't run an offense that used the talents that Walker possessed. He did try many different ways to get him the ball to his credit. Even on kick returns. It just did not fit his game. Then when injuries hit he really could have used some of them players he had to give up. Remember it wasn't just draft picks we gave away. Dallas also got a handful of players.

Edit:
americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Herschel_Walker_trade

Dallas turned it into 18 players and picks total.


Dallas Cowboys received
LB Jesse Solomon
LB David Howard
CB Issiac Holt
RB Darrin Nelson (traded to San Diego after he refused to report to Dallas)
DE Alex Stewart
Minnesota's 1st round pick in 1990 (21) (traded this pick along with pick (81) for pick (17) from Pittsburgh to draft Emmitt Smith)
Minnesota's 2nd round pick in 1990 (47) (Alexander Wright)
Minnesota's 6th round pick in 1990 (158) (traded to New Orleans, who drafted James Williams)
Minnesota's 1st round pick in 1991 (conditional) - (12) (Alvin Harper)
Minnesota's 2nd round pick in 1991 (conditional) - (38) (Dixon Edwards)
Minnesota's 2nd round pick in 1992 (conditional) - (37) (Darren Woodson)
Minnesota's 3rd round pick in 1992 (conditional) - (71) (traded to New England, who drafted Kevin Turner)
Minnesota's 1st round pick in 1993 (conditional) - (13) (traded to Philadelphia Eagles, and then to the Houston Oilers, who drafted Brad Hopkins)[1]

...who still gives up 1st 4 years out from a trade? 

For the record, I’m not trying to make Mike Lynn the Vikings’ greatest hero - but I think calling him a villain ( someone said he deserved the top 3 spots of infamy followed by Sean Payton) is wrong and overly simple. He was complicated, like most people (but not Sean Payton who is purely evil). Did Lynn make some money working for the Vikings? You bet - but so have Zimmer, Spielman, the Wilfs…

Hell, if enriching oneself at the expense of this team is criminal, no one should be allowed to mention Mike Lynn until giving an extensive destruction of Red McConbs.

Good history discussion!

No doubt. Traded away Moss out of spite. And it’s also a “conspiracy theory” that he had us skip our pick twice in 2003 to pay Kevin Williams a lower salary…but IMO it is infinitely more credible than the idea Lynn did the Walker trade for personal gain.

The Williams issue happened because the Vikings and Ravens had agreed on a trade to allow Baltimore to move up. Baltimore never handed in their agreeing to the trade.
There was no luck involved in getting Williams either because the Vikings knew, like most everyone else that Leftwich was Jacksonville's target and Gross was Carolina's.