TRENDING: Vikings Could TRADE Justin Jefferson | Jets MUST Go ALL IN
While there have been long-standing rumors that Minnesota may trade for Jefferson, there is some doubt as to whether the team would actually be open to giving away its all-star wide receiver.
Columnist Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press appears to believe so, too; in a piece posted on the website last month, he speculated that “a full-scale rebuild could be ahead.”
Walters stated that it could be time for Minnesota to undertake a comprehensive rebuild because a number of players, including edge rusher Danielle Hunter and quarterback Kirk Cousins, are scheduled to become free agents this summer. Paying Jefferson the high salary he would undoubtedly demand—probably at least a five-year, $150 million contract—is difficult to justify, according toWalters — for a team without real prospects of contending in the near future.
An aging core features some stars like Cousins and Hunter, both of whom are free agents, but the team also has plenty of holes that Minnesota is unlikely to be able to fill in time to make another run at contending with that group.
Thus, extracting as much value as possible for Jefferson in a trade could be key for the Vikings in potentially accelerating their rebuild with strong draft capital. Walters posited that the team could likely get more than two first-round picks for Jefferson, depending on their quality.
One team that could consider going all-in with a move for Jefferson is the New York Jets.
New York already dealt for quarterback Aaron Rodgers ahead of the 2023 season and seems poised to once again attempt to win with him in 2024 after a torn Achilles on the first drive of the season sidelined Rodgers for all of 2024.
Giving Rodgers another offensive playmaker to work with would certainly make sense, and star cornerback Sauce Gardner expressed his support for the idea on Sunday.
Gardner posted a screen grab of rapper Lil Baby’s song All In in a quote tweet of a post to X (formerly known as Twitter) discussing Jefferson’s availability, captioning it “-LeSauce(GM).”
Jefferson would certainly be an attractive target for several potential contending teams aiming to bolster their receiving corps with one of the league’s best playmakers.
He caught 68 passes for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns last season, all career-low numbers. He played in just 10 games, including nine starts, due to a hamstring injury and later a chest injury.
Still, Jefferson has a strong track record when healthy after racking up a whopping 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. He posted at least 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in each of his first three NFL seasons and is certainly expected to pick up where he left off in 2024, whether it be for the Vikings or elsewhere.
Rumors will only continue to swirl regarding Jefferson’s future as free agency and the draft draw closer with all eyes on which approach Minnesota ultimately decides to take.
