Vikings Rumors: Justin Jefferson’s New Gig, Donovan Jackson, Stephon Gilmore
Weekly, VikingsTerritory tracks rumors for the purple team and presents them to the masses for review.
For Sunday’s edition, we profile Vikings rumors involving Justin Jefferson, Donovan Jackson, and Stephon Gilmore.
This week is no different, and with organized team activities popping off this week, here’s a look at the latest Vikings rumors.
Rumor: Justin Jefferson will be the face of Olympic Flag Football, coming to Los Angeles in 2028.
Unbeknownst to most, Jefferson is evidently a loud proponent of flag football, which will be featured at the 2028 Summer Olympics with NFL players after owners unanimously approved the measure this week.
Jefferson told the media this week, “I’m just at a loss of words. Just to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal is a dream, just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal. That’s something that as a kid I always wanted to be a part of, but football wasn’t global. So now that we’re expanding the game and we’re going more global, it’s pretty cool.”
“For them to change the rules up and for us to go from a regular game to now a flag football game, honestly, it was way more fun. We felt like kids out there just kind of having fun, just being around each other, the best athletes in the league.”
Jefferson said about his involvement in 2028 flag football: “That’s the decision I’ll definitely have to weigh in a little bit. It’s three years from now, it’s three whole seasons that I’m going to have to go through. Of course, getting older, body is going to be different, but that’s definitely always been a dream. It’s always been something I always wanted to do, compete for your country versus all of the other countries in the rest of the world.”
“I definitely would look forward to it if it came down to it, but that’s definitely something to ask myself and see what’s right.”
He sure sounds like a man who wants a piece of the Olympics.
Rumor: Kevin O’Connell had a dream about drafting Donovan Jackson on Wednesday, April 23rd, and his team picked Jackson the next day.
The Vikings posted a short documentary about the 2025 NFL Draft, revealing how they arrived at Donovan Jackson as the pick. O’Connell even said he dreamt about Jackson the night before Round 1.
He told his colleagues, “I had a dream last night we drafted him.”
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also shed light on his thought process. He told his peers, “If it’s Donovan or that, we talked about these scenarios, but I just want to come back to you guys all beforehand and say same page or if you want to take the risk and go back.”
He later mentioned about Jackson, “If we go back, you got to treat it like he’s not going to be there.”
Everyone wanted the guy, and the head coach even dreamt about him.
Rumor: Stephon Gilmore could end up with the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha analyzed destinations for the league’s best remaining free agents earlier this month. For Stephon Gilmore, Cincinnati popped up.
Chadiah explained, “Cincinnati needs as much depth and experience as it can find in its secondary after fielding one of the league’s worst pass defenses last season. Even though he turns 35 in September, Gilmore could help with that cause.”
“For one, he’s still proven to be a competent man-coverage cornerback, which is a skill set the Bengals will covet with new defensive coordinator Al Golden replacing Lou Anarumo (Golden relied heavily on man coverage as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator last season). Cincinnati also is hoping that Daxton Hill can rebound from a torn ACL that limited him to just five games in 2024.”
It’s worth noting that Gilmore contemplated retirement at the start of the offseason.
Chadiha added, “Gilmore can provide depth in case Hill is slow to return to form. Gilmore also has done everything a cornerback can do in this league — a list that includes winning a Super Bowl in New England and being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 — so his leadership would be invaluable for a team with so many young players at that position. Finally, Gilmore would be cheap.”
“He played on a one-year deal valued at $10 million in Minnesota last season. For a team that just gave huge extensions to wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — and continues to not be on the same page with star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson — a bargain like this at cornerback would be ideal.”
Gilmore would basically replace Mike Hilton, who is also a free agent.
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