1 Idea Has Never Crossed Vikings GM’s Mind
Besides awaiting the crucial decisions about the future of Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter, two of the franchise’s top players, Justin Jefferson’s delayed contract extension is another big talker in the Vikings universe. The star wideout still hasn’t signed his massive deal although he has been eligible since last offseason.
1 Idea Has Never Crossed Vikings GM’s Mind
In the NFL world, especially in the offseason, that will spark trade rumors. Jefferson is generally regarded as the league’s top receiver and at age 24, he deserves his payday, or as he called it, he wants to break the bank.
Despite all the accolades and numbers, at the time of the scouting combine, he still hasn’t been paid. Trade buzz appeared out of nowhere. Colin Cowherd wanted to trade him and some additional picks for the third overall pick, and other reports that stated he could be made available for trade talks also surfaced.
All of those talks were shut down by an emphatical press conference from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the guy who is negotiating with the star receiver and his camp. Asked if there was a world where he would consider making him available for a trade, he said:
That is not something that has once crossed my mind. You got a blue player, a blue person, you’re trying to keep as many of those you can.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Blue-chip players are those who have positioned themselves as the best in the business at what they do and Jefferson is undoubtedly one of those. He ranks second in receiving yards since entering the league in 2020. Tyreek Hill surpassed him during his injury-related absence. In 2022, he led the league in receiving yards and receptions, resulting in winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. JJetas is also the all-time leader in receiving yards per game.
He is 24 years old and has been the face of the franchise for quite some time. That combined with the on-field contributions has earned him a record-breaking deal, something he has been aiming for.
The aforementioned Hill is paid an annual salary of $30 million, followed by Davante Adams at $28 million. Hill will turn 30 in a few days and Adams is already past his 31st birthday. Jefferson will turn 25 in a few months, so there is no reason to expect his production to decline.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has built his offense around the three-time Pro Bowler and it would be foolish to let rare players on a Hall of Fame trajectory exit the building. An interesting wrinkle is the future of the quarterback position. The wideout has made it clear multiple times that he wants Cousins back to throw him passes but the good news is that he also stated that he will continue to perform regardless of the signal-caller.
It will be hard, although not impossible, to pay Cousins another big deal as well as Jefferson’s rising salary. The Vikings could try to find his successor in April’s draft and with Jefferson on the same offense as Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Christian Darrisaw, it is a wonderful spot for a QB prospect to flourish.
Floating around trade ideas during the NFL’s dead period might be logical but it doesn’t appear as if the Vikings are willing to part ways with another star receiver after doing that with Randy Moss, Percy Harvin, and Stefon Diggs.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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