The Vikings aren’t making any secret of their desire to trade wide receiver Laquon Treadwell before the start of the regular season.
After Treadwell caught four passes for 47 yards on Sunday, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said the team was trying “to showcase” the 2016 first-round pick for other clubs that might be interested in making a deal. That may not come to fruition after three disappointing NFL seasons for Treadwell, but the wideout is doing his best to put a positive spin on the entire situation.
“I’ve been in this situation before and it’s actually kind of fun,” Treadwell said, via the Pioneer Press. “It’s kind of fun like being the underdog. Nothing to really expect, so when you go out there you can just play free and kind of just prove yourself. Over the last past few years I haven’t played up to that potential, so there’s other guys who weren’t drafted and have played better than me, so over time things changed. Now it’s time for me to prove myself. Other guys have to prove themselves. Now it’s time for me to just prove myself and just go out and compete at a high level and stay locked in.”
The perspective may be helped by the fact that Treadwell learned over the weekend that his grandmother has a terminal medical condition, which made him focus on “appreciating the opportunity you do get in life.” Whatever the impetus for his mental state, Treadwell’s likely to be competing somewhere other than Minnesota in a couple of weeks.