Adam Schefter Failed in Attempt to Hide Which NFC North Teams Want to Trade for Kicker Kaare Vedvik (Updated)
UPDATE: Kaare Vedvik was traded to the Vikings. What follows was about Schefter’s initial tweet around the subject.
After Adrian Wojnarowski, Adam Schefter is probably the most consistent news breaker in sports today. But even the greats don’t get everything perfect.
In a tweet on Sunday, Schefter did his best to relay some news, while also not giving all of the juicy details away. First, the news: The kicker-rich Ravens (they have the best in the league in Justin Tucker) will likely trade backup Kaare Vedvik, a former soccer player from Norway who made a 55-yarder in the Ravens preseason game in addition to kicks from 45, 26 and 29 yards. He also is a punter.
Now for the mystery: Not one, but two NFC North teams have expressed interest. Who could they be? Shall we get a detective on the case? Oh wait, it’s super obvious. It’s the Bears and the Vikings.
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
Looking at the Packers and Lions kicker situations, Green Bay has two kickers battling for the starting job (Mason Crosby and Sam Ficken) and from all reports are happy with whoever wins that job. The Lions have two-time Pro Bowler Matt Prater on their team and don’t seem to be looking for anyone else. That leaves only the Vikings and Bears as possibilities.
The Bears kicker situation has been a mess ever since they let Robbie Gould go, a decision they wanted to rectify this offseason by trading for him after the 49ers put the franchise tag on him, before the 49ers ultimately gave Gould a long-term contract. That left the Bears with Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro at kicker. Fry made his lone preseason attempt from 43 yards, while Pineiro missed from 48 yards and made from 23. Not exactly inspiring stuff.
The Vikings, meanwhile, have endured similarly-uninspiring performances so far this preseason. Dan Bailey has reportedly been hit-or-miss during practice this preseason. It was the same last year after they signed him as a free agent, with Bailey making 75 percent of his kicks (21-of-28). He made all four of his extra points in the Vikings first preseason game, which is a good sign, but the Vikings still might want more competition in camp.
Either way, Schefter’s tweet wasn’t hard to decipher, and for anyone wondering what mystery NFC North teams were/are interested, it doesn’t take Indiana Jones to figure it out.