There are teams that, for whatever reason, are loaded at a certain position. With Justin Tucker already entrenched as one of the best kickers in the league, the Baltimore Ravens found themselves with a dilemma. Their camp kicker, Kaare Vedvik was pretty good. In fact, he was too good to cut.
Other teams agreed and after going 4-for-4 with a 55-yarder in a 29-0 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in his preseason debut, the Minnesota Vikings cut a deal to trade a 2020 fifth-round draft pick for Vedvik’s services. He also launched a couple of 50 yard punts in the game.
It’s not often a team trades a fifth-round pick for a kicker, as the Vikings are doing today for former Ravens’ kicker Kaare Vedvik. Here’s a look back at other trades for kickers: pic.twitter.com/rGgejNmopQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2019
While Tucker is all but untouchable in Baltimore, Minnesota’s kicking unit is much more fluid. Vedvik will compete with former Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey for the PK job and Matt Wile for the punting job.
When asked about the possibility of a trade this week, the kicker made it clear he was ignoring the talk.
“I don’t really ever think about that,” Vedvik said. “I’m focused on playing the game. That’s it. Teams that are interested, they talk to coach, the head honcho. I’m just going to play the game.”
We have traded kicker Kaare Vedvik to the Minnesota Vikings for an undisclosed draft pick, pending the passing of a physical. pic.twitter.com/JhfkeEyvLp
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 11, 2019
The VStavanger, Norway native was a two-year starter for Marshall, punting his junior and senior years and kicking in his final season. He averaged 44.0 yards a punt in 2017 and went 10-for-16 in field goals.
Baltimore signed Vedvik as an undrafted free agent last season. He spent all year on injured reserve after he was viciously assaulted last preseason outside Max’s Tapouse in Fells Point, Baltimore. Before the attack, the Ravens were already looking at his trade value last season.
At least four teams have called the Ravens to inquire about trading for kicker Kaare Vedvik, with at least two of those calls coming from NFC North teams, per a league source. Ravens don’t have to do anything in the short term, but will deal the kicker at some point this summer.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2019
“I fully expect that he’ll kick well enough for us to trade him,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Vedvik back in March. “That’s kind of the goal. He’s capable of kicking in the NFL. We probably could have traded him last year.”
