Vikings Rumors Simmer on a Justin Jefferson Trade, the Playoff Longshot, RB Roster Theft
Get ready because the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason is about a month away — and the ride will be as bumpy as it will be exciting. The club has oodles of decisions around the bend, and the purple rumor mill this week is just the tip of the iceberg.
Vikings heat up on a Justin Jefferson trade, a playoff longshot, and RB roster theft, giving the Minnesota Vikings a dramatic late-season storyline.
Here’s a glance at this week’s rumors, one day before the Vikings host the Washington Commanders at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Vikings Rumors for Saturday, December 6th, 2025
The purple rumor delivers weekly, and this go-round is no exception.
Rumor: Justin Jefferson is frustrated by losing, and the Vikings could end up trading him.
When a season collapses and the outlook for the future turns bleak, whispers start about stripping the roster for parts and rebuilding from ground zero. Quietly, that discussion has begun for the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson, at least among NFL media.
Paul Charchian — founder of GuillotineLeagues.com and widely viewed as a pioneer in fantasy football — tweeted after Minnesota’s loss at Seattle: “When the Vikings inevitably do a full reset in the offseason, the next GM will need to decide if they should keep Justin Jefferson. Every part of that statement makes me sad.”
That tweet assumes ownership, led by Mark and Zygi Wilf, will fire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. That isn’t guaranteed, but it’s on the table.
If Charchian is right about Adofo-Mensah’s future, then yes — the next GM will have to make a call on Jefferson.
It also didn’t help that Jefferson was visibly upset Sunday at Lumen Field and skipped his postgame press conference, which is wildly out of character for a player who otherwise mirrors future Hall of Fame professionalism.
And if Minnesota actually acted on Charchian’s scenario, trading Jefferson before June 1, 2026, would slap the team with a $46 million dead cap penalty.
Generally speaking, Minnesota will likely figure out its quarterback situation this offseason, which will appease any Jefferson malcontent.
Rumor: Minnesota must win all of its games and get help to reach the postseason.
Minnesota’s playoff mission statement isn’t complicated. It’s nearly impossible, but easy to understand.
After dropping four straight, the Vikings must run the table. After that, they become scoreboard watchers for five weeks, specifically needing the Packers to lose every one of their remaining games. Based on how Green Bay has looked lately, that seems unlikely. Matt LaFleur’s team would need a wave of bad injury luck to even open the door for Minnesota.
The outlook is grim for anyone still hanging on to that last shred of playoff hope. Minnesota has been here before — needing outside help and living in if-this-then-that land. But this time is different.
No other games matter. While the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers appear to sit between Minnesota and the NFC Wildcard, they’re irrelevant to the parlay. Those teams can win out or lose out; Minnesota’s situation doesn’t change.
It’s a strict condition: the Vikings must win all five, and the Packers must collapse.
If Minnesota wants to pull off the nearly impossible, here’s the menu standing between them and the postseason:
Week 14: vs. Washington Commanders
Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 16: at New York Giants
Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions (XMas)
Week 18: vs. Green Bay Packers
Oddsmakers won’t favor Minnesota in most of those matchups, though the Vikings are projected to beat Washington on Sunday. Still, to keep their end of this parlay alive, Kevin O’Connell’s crew would need to start playing fabulous football out of thin air. If that were even remotely realistic, we would’ve seen glimpses of it before now. We haven’t.
Then, the funny caveat: Green Bay’s slate is legitimately demanding. If Minnesota only needed three wins or four wins down the stretch — instead of a clean 5-for-5 — Vikings fans could reasonably expect the Packers to trip on one or two of these:
Week 14: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 15: at Denver Broncos
Week 16: at Chicago Bears
Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 18: at Minnesota Vikings
It’s an outright miserable stretch, and Green Bay could easily finish with a losing record from this lineup. That part isn’t impossible. The impossible part is Minnesota suddenly playing like a playoff squad.
Rumor: The Cardinals yanked a running back from the Vikings’ roster.
Arizona didn’t bat an eye when fortifying its running back depth this week. NBC Sports’ Charean Williams reported, “The Cardinals added a running back to the roster on Tuesday, signing Corey Kiner off the Vikings’ practice squad. They also announced the release of running back Jermar Jefferson in a corresponding move.”
“Kiner, a rookie out of the University of Cincinnati, was with the 49ers in the preseason before signing with Minnesota in late September. The Cardinals released two other running backs from the practice squad, cutting Sincere McCormick and Montrell Johnson Jr.”
Kiner spent a few months on Minnesota’s practice squad after the Vikings needed insurance following Ty Chandler’s trip to injured reserve.
Stealing practice squaders is entirely legal, and the Cardinals did it.
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