Justin Jefferson has long been rumored in potential trades away from the Minnesota Vikings amid a potentially rocky relationship between the star wide receiver and the franchise fueled by a recent lack of success. Those rumors went viral again on Sunday with one NFL star providing his two cents on the matter as well.
Will the Minnesota Vikings Look To Move Justin Jefferson?
Although it’s long been speculated that Jefferson could be moved by Minnesota, there has also been some skepticism as to whether the organization would truly be willing to trade its superstar wide receiver.
Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters certainly seems to think they could, speculating that “a full-scale rebuild could be ahead” in a column published to the site last month.
With quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter set to hit free agency this offseason, among other players, Walters said it could be time for Minnesota to embrace a full-scale rebuild. It’s tough to justify paying Jefferson the top-level money he will certainly command — likely at least a five-year, $150 million deal, according to Walters — 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).”
-LeSauce(GM) https://t.co/IQuYJ6px9f pic.twitter.com/6R6kGNEEWX
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) February 25, 2024
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.
KEEP READING: NFL World Rips Vikings About Being “Hesitant” Over Guaranteed Salary in Justin Jefferson’s New Deal
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.
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