Buccaneers can’t afford to answer the Vikings’ trade call

They can look somewhere else.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Dallas Cowboys
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Dallas Cowboys | Perry Knotts/GettyImages

Abundance is a good problem to have. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have too many quality wide receivers to give each player a significant role in the offense heading into the regular season. This team is loaded with skill-position talent, but there are only so many starting jobs.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are in desperate need of help at wideout. They're down one of their starters and seem to be scrambling for a replacement.

The Bucs could help their NFC foes out. Or they could let the Vikings overpay elsewhere and hurt Minnesota's chances of taking a precious playoff spot.

Buccaneers shouldn't trade a receiver to the Vikings

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were already one of the top receiver duos in the sport. Then, Tampa Bay spent a first-round draft pick on Emeka Egbuka to create a three-headed monster. Add in Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, and Sterling Shepard, and this is one of the deepest wideout groups in the NFL.

General manager Jason Licht would be wise to explore the idea of trading away one of these receivers. In fact, he probably already has. But he needs to be careful where he sends one of his excess pass catchers.

The Vikings, even with a big question mark at quarterback, are a potential playoff team this season. They have a loaded roster on both sides of the ball with very few obvious weaknesses. But after Jordan Addison's suspension, their receiver group is severely lacking depth.

Especially for a team with an inexperienced quarterback, it's crucial to have enough capable pass catchers on the roster. According to NFL insider Dianna Russini, Minnesota is looking to the trade market to add receiver talent before the start of the season.

But unless they get a ridiculously good offer, the Buccaneers shouldn't entertain a trade with the Vikings. Both of these teams are expected to fight for a spot in the postseason. Any edge that Tampa Bay can find over its conference rivals could mean the difference between another playoff appearance and an early offseason.

And if the Buccaneers really do want to ship off one of their receivers, there are plenty of other options. Per Russini, there are "several teams monitoring the trade market for potential wide receiver additions." She included the New York Jets as one of the buyers. If Tampa Bay wants to send a backup receiver to an AFC team like the Jets or the Tennessee Titans, they absolutely should. But a deal with an NFC contender could hurt them in the long run.