Aaron Lavinsky • aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com A deep run in the playoffs was the goal, and the Vikings and quarterback Sam Bradford failed in that regard. But Bradford did his best to keep a flawed offense afloat, and he sometimes took a beating doing it.
When Joe Banner first heard back in early September that the Vikings, in a desperate position after losing Teddy Bridgewater, had traded their 2017 first-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford, he felt it was a bold gamble he himself would not have been willing to make.
During his 17 years as president of the Eagles, which ended in 2012, Banner displayed a patient approach to team-building in the hopes of keeping their window of contention open as long as possible.