As Justin Jefferson’s future in Minnesota hangs in the balance, it doesn’t exactly bode well for a mega contract extension that the Vikings were reportedly, allegedly rather eager to part with him on draft night.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and longtime local reporter/columnist Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, Minnesota seriously considered trading up for LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.
We caught wind of it on draft night but couldn't confirm it. Now, Charley Walters of the @PioneerPress reports on "buzz" that the Vikings tried to trade up for Malik Nabers. Walters adds that, if it had happened, Justin Jefferson "would have been traded." https://t.co/7Bdx3U20J0
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 26, 2024
Jefferson is in line to be the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. His impending, inevitable extension is part of the reason the Vikings let Kirk Cousins walk to Atlanta in free agency. Since Minnesota entered the 2024 NFL Draft with the 11th and 23rd picks, they had the ammunition to move up — presumably for a quarterback. With the way the draft fell, they managed to go from 11 to 10 to draft Michigan QB JJ McCarthy, and then they took a big swing to go from No. 23 to 17 for Alabama pass-rusher Dallas Turner.
Per this juicy inside information, Minnesota aspired to move all the way up to No. 5 in a blockbuster trade with the Chargers. However, Jim Harbaugh and Co. were content to stick at their pick to draft Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt. But this story isn’t so much about the Bolts’ willingness or lack thereof to move out of their pick. It’s more about how highly the Vikings thought of Nabers, how they planned an aggressive exit strategy for Jefferson, and how that would’ve muddied their path to getting a viable Cousins successor.
It turns out the Vikings reportedly/allegedly targeted the exact right area of the draft to get Nabers. The New York Giants wound up taking him sixth overall, passing on the chance to potentially upgrade at QB with either Michael Penix Jr., McCarthy or Bo Nix.
These reports are a major threat to Minnesota’s bid to retain Jefferson. On paper, it actually would’ve made a lot of sense to clear a ton of future cap space, get Nabers on the cheap, pair him with Jordan Addison as the new 1-2 punch at wideout, and get a haul for Jefferson via trade. Since it didn’t pan out, and now that this information is flying around, it’s quite the hairy situation.
Not to be a total downer to SKOL Nation, but I feel for these diehards who eat, sleep, and breathe Vikings football for posting these things not long before the Jefferson rumor/report started really spreading:
Florio is the ONLY one in the media speculating about Justin Jefferson being unhappy/wanting a trade.
So unless Schefter, Pelissero, Rapsheet, Glazer, Schultz, and all the local beat writers are asleep at the wheel…. There's nothing going on. pic.twitter.com/naFRmizAeY
— Purple FTW! Podcast (@PurpleForTheWin) May 26, 2024
There have been no legitimate reasons to be concerned about Justin Jefferson not signing a contract extension with the Vikings this year
FULL EPISODE: https://t.co/uep96Ogmsp
SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE: https://t.co/QDHbwb7avH pic.twitter.com/1Pr0XWseF7— The Viking Age (@TheVikingAge) May 26, 2024
As much as I liked Nabers and had him as the second-best prospect in the entire draft, what absolutely wild behavior by the Vikings for mulling this scenario. Jefferson is legit on track to go down as one of the 10 best receivers to ever play the game. What was their plan at quarterback if they somehow pulled this off? Maybe they could’ve scored a premium pick for Jefferson, packaged that in another trade-up, and landed either Penix, McCarthy or Nix anyway.
Hey Minnesota, there’s this team called the Cincinnati Bengals. They have a No. 1-caliber receiver in Tee Higgins who’s set to play on the franchise tag, won’t be as expensive as Jefferson, and wants the chance to be a WR1. You can provide that. The Bengals can trade whatever the hell you want land Jefferson, reunite him with his ex-LSU teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, and create the greatest passing attack the NFL has ever seen.
Justin Jefferson keeping silent on the situation with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals 👀 pic.twitter.com/uBN5mGYn4d
— WHO DEY est. 2000 (@dpainclain) March 13, 2024
Sorry. Got a little carried away there. WHO DEY!!
Sorry again. Seriously though, if we consider that the Vikings were giving real thought to trading Jefferson during the draft, it’s not as much of a pipe dream as it once seemed that he could be had now.
Even with McCarthy on a rookie deal as a huge cost-saver in the post-Cousins era, could the Vikes be convinced to part with Jefferson and really open up their future, with enough means to still be reasonably competitive in the present? It’s quite an appealing possibility. Even if you’re a Minnesota stan and love Jefferson, you have to admit it’s tantalizing. And the offense functioned pretty damn well without him for almost half of last season.
