The Minnesota Vikings have surfaced as a possible trade partner for Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenneth Gainwell as the Nov. 10 deadline approaches.
Tampa Bay sits at 0-4 after four games and has shown little interest in expanding Gainwell’s role behind Bucky Irving. The 27-year-old has appeared in all four contests but has rarely been featured in the offense.
Gainwell has carried the ball 13 times for 26 yards this season, an average of 2.0 yards per attempt. He has added eight receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown, giving him 21 total touches through Week 4.
Those numbers stand in sharp contrast to his career production. Since entering the league in 2021, Gainwell has played 87 games and totaled 407 carries for 1,748 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per rush, according to NFL.com records.
His strongest campaign came in 2025 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He rushed 114 times for 537 yards and five scores while averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and he finished the year with 1,023 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns.
Gainwell remains under contract with Tampa Bay through the 2027 season after signing a two-year deal worth $14 million in the offseason. A trade would allow the Buccaneers to shed most of his remaining financial commitment while adding a draft pick in a year that has already gone sideways.
Minnesota’s backfield has its own questions. Jordan Mason is on injured reserve with a fractured thumb, leaving the Vikings reliant on Aaron Jones, who turned 31 in December.
Jones delivered a solid outing in Minnesota’s Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, rushing 20 times for 94 yards and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The team has elevated practice-squad options and signed depth pieces, but none match the production Gainwell posted a year ago.
FanSided’s Zachary Rotman listed the Vikings, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles as logical landing spots in an Oct. 7 article.
“There isn’t much for the Bucs to offer in terms of expiring contracts, and they probably don’t want to offload a veteran like Vita Vea, but what about Kenny Gainwell?” Rotman wrote.
“The Bucs don’t have to trade him, as he’s under contract through the 2027 campaign, but he has just 13 rushing attempts for 26 yards this season, showing that he’s been inefficient and rarely used. If Tampa can get a draft pick for him in a lost year, why not do so? Backup running backs, especially ones averaging two yards per carry on minimal work, are easily replaceable, and given his successful 2025 campaign in Pittsburgh, he might have a market.”
Bleacher Report analysts have projected Gainwell’s trade value in the range of a 2027 fifth- or sixth-round pick, citing both his limited snaps and Tampa Bay’s 0-4 record. The Buccaneers would clear roughly $2 million in 2026 cap space and remove a projected $7 million hit in 2027.
Other clubs, including the Seattle Seahawks, have also been mentioned as possible suitors because of injuries elsewhere at the position. No formal talks have been reported.
Gainwell’s receiving skills and recent track record give him a clearer path to snaps in Minnesota than he currently holds in Tampa Bay. The Vikings have roughly $7 million to $8 million in available cap space, enough to absorb the remaining portion of his 2026 salary without major maneuvering.
Whether Minnesota or another contender acts before the deadline will depend on how the next several weeks unfold for both the Buccaneers and teams still chasing playoff positioning.
