The Wildest Vikings Trade Theory Yet Has Surfaced
The Houston Rockets formally finalized an NBA trade this week, acquiring Kevin Durant in that league’s first-ever seven-team trade.
CBS Sports just unsheathed one of the wildest Vikings trade proposals yet, involving a massive theoretical deal with Justin Jefferson. Have a look, even if it’s fiction.
Accordingly, that transaction got some football heads thinking about what a similar deal might look like in the NFL, and CBS Sports led the charge this week.
And it just so happened the Minnesota Vikings were a part of a hypothetically similar deal.
Justin Jefferson to the Bengals, Says CBS Sports Trade Idea
A wild swap for the Vikings — stylized in NBA format.
A Justin Jefferson Trade in the Spirit of the NBA
CBS Sports‘ Cody Benjamin concocted the NBA-style deals, and Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ best player, got the nod as one deal’s centerpiece.
Here’s what Benjamin had in mind:
Bengals Get:
WR Justin Jefferson (MIN)
DE Julian Okwara (CLE)
Vikings Get:
WR Tee Higgins (CIN)
CB Greg Newsome II (CLE)
2026 1st-Round pick (CIN)
2026 3rd-Round pick (DET)
Lions Get:
EDGE Trey Hendrickson (CIN)
Browns Get:
2026 4th-Round pick (DET)
If Jefferson weren’t so phenomenal, the deal would actually be quite sweet for the Vikings.
Benjamin explained the deal, “This might be the most outlandish of the bunch, if only because Jefferson is as close to untouchable as anyone in the NFL. The Vikings have rightly and swiftly extinguished any and all speculation regarding the wideout’s trade availability in the past, and “Jets” has done the same.”
“But the one place he might be OK moving is Cincinnati, for the chance at reuniting with former LSU stars Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals, meanwhile, have expensive trade chips of their own in Higgins and Hendrickson, the latter of whom has been angling for a pay raise — or move out of town — for years.”
Minnesota would secure a WR1 in Higgins, a CB2 in Newsome II, and two noteworthy draft picks.
Benjamin added, “Can you imagine Burrow’s delight if given the chance to capitalize on a title window with the two best pass catchers in the game? And can you imagine Detroit’s satisfaction if it can pull Hendrickson from the deal, pairing the Pro Bowler with Aidan Hutchinson after trying but failing to trade up for pass rushing help this spring?”
An Impressive Haul
The transaction would certainly set Minnesota up pretty fancily for the future — with Higgins, Newsome II, and two draft picks. Usually when player and pick swaps circulate on the internet, fans feel slighted by the return.
But this isn’t that.
The problem? Few purple fans would be willing to offload Jefferson, the franchise’s cornerstone.
But This Is Fan Fiction
To reiterate, this is merely pre-training-camp fodder. For fun.
Minnesota won’t trade Jefferson, even if Benjamin’s proposal shows the proper weight needed to acquire a player like Jefferson. Assume the trade could be realistic and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shipped Jefferson to the highest bidder. Minnesota would incur approximately $60 million in dead cap funds — not conducive to effective salary cap management.
Realistic Trade Scenarios?
If Adofo-Mensah does fire off any deals this summer, existing players who might be eligible:
- Brian Asamoah (LB)
- Blake Brandel (G)
- Ty Chandler (RB)
And players, in theory, who Minnesota could target with draft picks as ammunition:
- Jamel Dean (CB, TB)
- Trevon Diggs (CB, DAL)
- Greg Newsome II (CB, CLE)
- Tariq Woolen (CB, SEA)
The Bryce Young — Kyler Murray Swap
Among four wild proposals, including the Jefferson nugget, Benjamin also outlined Bryce Young and a 3rd-Round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Kyler Murray.
He wrote, “Like the proposed Buccaneers-Jaguars quarterback swap, this comes down to a preference of experience versus upside. This time, we have a long-suffering rebuilder punting on promise for proven results, with Carolina swapping out its former No. 1 overall pick for another former No. 1 with a deeper NFL resume.”
“Murray may still be eyeing a true breakout, but he fits the profile of a Dave Canales project as a gifted but unsteady veteran; Canales, remember, all but got the Panthers job thanks to his revival of both Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. And Arizona?”
This one isn’t quite as outlandish as Jefferson to Cincinnati, but it’s out there.
“They’re still finding their bearings under Jonathan Gannon, so is it really that much of a risk to go from Murray to Young, who ended 2024 with conviction? Maybe a move to the desert could truly spark his growth,” Benjamin concluded.
A final disclaimer: Minnesota won’t get rid of Jefferson. It just won’t. Nothing to worry about.
Beloved Ex-Viking Wants Back In
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