Cam Robinson trade grades: How Jaguars, Vikings made out after deal for left tackle

Since their stunning 5-0 start, it’s been a rough three weeks for the Minnesota Vikings.

They’re coming off back-to-back defeats, their Week 8 setback to the Los Angeles Rams also costing them Christian Darrisaw, one of the NFL’s premier left tackles. But the Vikes aren’t taking that loss lying down.

Tuesday night, Minnesota agreed to a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for veteran left tackle Cam Robinson with the teams also exchanging conditional Day 3 draft picks in 2026. Per ESPN, the Jags could reap a fourth-rounder depending on Robinson’s playing time.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the deal, which materialized exactly one week before the Nov. 5 trade deadline, by grading it for both clubs.

CAM ROBINSON TRADE GRADES

Jacksonville Jaguars: B+

The Jags likely wouldn’t characterize it as such, but it’s a bit of a towel toss from the corner of the ring from a 2-6 team that also saw all three of its top receivers injured Sunday. It also provides an opportunity to see more from Walker Little, a second-round pick in 2021 and/or trying 2023 first-rounder Anton Harrison on the left side to see if he’s more comfortable as QB Trevor Lawrence’s blind side sentinel. Robinson, who was franchised twice by Jacksonville before getting a moderate extension, is scheduled to be a free agent in 2025, so the prospect of getting a fourth-rounder back for a half-season rental is a pretty good ROI for the front office.

Minnesota Vikings: A-

They’re sending a strong signal to their locker room that this season – once perceived as a transition year from QB Kirk Cousins to journeyman San Darnold to first-rounder J.J. McCarthy – is a priority. Cousins is in Atlanta and McCarthy is on injured reserve, yet Darnold has revived his career with the help of a strong supporting cast on offense and a relentless defense playing to its maximum potential under coordinator Brian Flores. With Robinson, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah provides coach Kevin O’Connell and a seventh-ranked scoring offense with a sturdy replacement for Darrisaw while only surrendering a mid-round pick two years from now while picking up the balance of Robinson’s $16.3 million base salary before he heads back to the market in 2025. (The Vikes signed Darrisaw to a four-year, $104 million extension earlier this year.) A second-round pick, 34th overall, out of Alabama in 2017, Robinson started 91 games for Jacksonville over seven-plus seasons. Pretty win-win for a franchise focused on the present with a team very much in the hunt for the NFC North crown but without having to mortgage much of its future.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cam Robinson trade grades: Did Vikings or Jaguars win deal for tackle?