Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Justin Jefferson and the Jets, Addison Too Expensive, “Playing Games”
A weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we present to you: the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes: Justin Jefferson and the Jets, Addison Too Expensive, “Playing Games”
The nopedy nopes are weekly Minnesota Vikings-themed items that we’re not buying. It’s a spin-off of our rumor mill, and we hope you enjoy. Here is the 12th batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
The Nopedy Nope: Justin Jefferson was in New Jersey this week — not far from the Jets’ headquarters — so he will be traded to New York.
A popular outfit on X, the website and app formerly known as Twitter, called MLFootball tweeted the following: “Friday, Justin Jefferson leaving his hotel in a chauffeured car, in Florham Park, which is 3 minutes away from where the Jets facility is located, via footage exclusively obtained by MLFootball. Jefferson was not in attendance for Vikings OTA’s today.”
Here’s the tweet in the flesh:
The tweet heavily implied that Jefferson was embroiled in some type of talks with the Jets — which is inexplicable because contracted players can’t just meet with other teams. This isn’t the Atlanta Falcons, a club under investigation for tampering. Jefferson wouldn’t be allowed to arbitrarily meet with New York, even if it was his childhood favorite team or something of the sort. It’s not how the business works.
Jefferson was reportedly in the area to address a legal matter. He’s not “meeting with the Jets” about anything. He can’t.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Jordan Addison might eventually be too expensive for the Vikings’ budget.
According to The Athletic, the Vikings may be on a steady march toward Addison’s departure. That outfit claimed this week that Justin Jefferson’s eventually hefty price tag might prohibit Minnesota from retaining Addison — in four years.
“Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in the league, and Minnesota should certainly extend him. But the cost will tighten money to spend elsewhere, like on last year’s first-round pick, 22-year-old Jordan Addison, when his rookie deal ends,” Randy Mueller wrote this week while analyzing the wide receiver market.
Mueller may actually be right, but most Vikings fans would counter with something like, “Just enjoy the next four years and then see how the chips fall.”
Mueller added, “Of course, if the Vikings’ assessment of J.J. McCarthy proves accurate, a quality quarterback on a five-year rookie contract might be just what the doctor ordered. If I were running the Vikings, I would pay Jefferson and keep churning WR2 at the end of Addison’s deal.
Jefferson’s extension will likely finalize soon, and he’s expected to break the bank, probably to the tune of $35 million per season. In that vein, it will be difficult to retain additional highly-priced players, but in the meantime, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s contract will offset Jefferson’s deal. And if McCarthy turns out to be a legitimate franchise quarterback, well, he’ll be handsomely compensated about five years from now and around the time Addison grabs his big contract.
The goal for Vikings football is to strike in the next four years, with Jefferson, Addison, McCarthy, and tight end T.J. Hockenson in their respective primes. Anything post-2027 is probably best reserved for post-2027.
Forecasting Addison as too expensive four years beforehand feels a bit too early.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: Minnesota’s front office is “playing games” with Justin Jefferson’s contract.
Mike Florio joined KFAN this week and authored a theory suggesting Minnesota is playing hardball with Jefferson’s extension. “If you want him, you pay him. If you don’t, you trade him. You don’t do this half-measure; we’re gonna play games with him. And my intel is, from Jefferson’s perspective, there may be a perception that they’re playing games with him, and that doesn’t end well. F around and find out is the mantra that they need to keep in mind if they are indeed effing around with JJ,” Florio opined.
The problem with his theory? Everyone within the organization says the opposite of Florio’s theory. Head coach Kevin O’Connell noted last week, “I know everything’s gonna get worked out there. Justin knows the love and admiration that I have for him. He knows he’s such a big part of what we do around here. That’s on the field and off the field. Bringing such a great energy to our building every single day.”
“Justin Jefferson’s a huge part of this organization,” O’Connell concluded about Jefferson’s role.
Adofo-Mensah also hinted after April’s draft that an extension was close. He said, “You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We’re excited to work towards it. We’re going to keep going. You can’t have all these plans when you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we’re going to keep working toward that end goal.”
No Vikings leader has ever mentioned disgruntlement or stalling regarding Jefferson’s extension. Humongous deals just often bleed into the summer. Overall, Florio is either wrong or Minnesota is quietly concocting one of the largest two-faced ordeals in NFL history.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Dustin Baker’s 5 Bold Summer Predictions for Vikings | 2024
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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