In Slobberknocker NFL Trade, Vikings Earn a Clear Warning
A few days ago, an NFL trade caught essentially everybody’s attention. The LA Rams, already a juggernaut, added edge rusher Myles Garrett. All of the sudden, the NFC became considerably more dangerous, making the path toward the Super Bowl more difficult.
As the conference reels from the impact of Garrett’s arrival, the Minnesota Vikings need to digest an individualized warning.
Boasting a player as magnificent as Justin Jefferson can be a blessing and a curse. The “blessing” portion of things is easy to see: a weekly advantage since #18 usually demands a minimum of two receivers to slow down. But then there’s the “curse:” needing to allow that elite player to achieve massive success. Failing to do so will very likely mean seeing that unique talent push for a divorce in the same way that Garrett did down in Cleveland.
NFL Trade Offers a Vikings Warning Regarding Justin Jefferson
In a lot of ways, Mr. Jefferson finds himself in an odd spot.
Envisioning him playing for another team feels close to impossible since it feels as though he has been part of the team forever. Already, the man has been in the NFL for six seasons and is fast approaching his seventh. But then the reality is that he is still only 26, meaning he could still be in the middle of his career.
The other side of these realities — being around forever but still having lots of football ahead — is that he hasn’t yet experienced meaningful success. Jefferson has gone to the playoffs a pair of times, losing both times. In each instance, Jefferson struggled to produce, mostly due to his teammates losing the line of scrimmage so consistently.
Justin Jefferson is a great talent who hasn’t yet found a way to block, pass, and catch all within the same play. So far, he has been constrained by the normal human limitation of simply being a historically-great receiver.
At some point, Jefferson’s patience may run out. Money can only go so far.
Putting him in a different environment would mean that Jefferson’s star would shine much more brightly, as hard as that is to imagine. A superstar, Jefferson is famous due to personal excellence rather than team excellence. Very few players reach his heights; these highs, though, have been found in receiving yards and All Pro teams rather than Super Bowl rings and championship parades.
Myles Garrett eventually decided he had had enough. And, in fairness, that’s completely fair. Who wants to play for the Browns? The Defensive Player of the Year wants a Lombardi, a completely reasonable desire.
Now, the obvious counterpoint: the Vikings are far ahead of the Browns. In fact, there’s no comparison between these two franchises. For all of the stumbling and bumbling, at least the Vikings generate respect before arriving at heartbreak. Something to be said for that, folks.
Moving off of Justin Jefferson will only happen with the effort from the man himself to move on. Indeed, Jefferson’s future trade — if that ever did occur — would almost certainly need to be at the behest of the receiver demanding a swap.
Seeing Jefferson ask for a one-way ticket out of town would mean snagging a considerable haul (the Browns got Jared Verse alongside three valuable draft picks) but it’s hard to replace a talent who is so sensational. After all, there’s a reason why teams aren’t keen to move on from these guys: top-ten NFL talents are very hard to find.
Already, the online football chatter contains Jefferson trade ideas. At this stage, those ideas are essentially hogwash. Sure, teams can call, but Nolan Teasley can just hang up the phone.
However, not putting Jefferson in a position to experience meaningful success can lead to a strange transfiguration whereby the ludicrous becomes plausible. Myles Garrett proves as much.
Justin Jefferson will turn 27 on June 16th. He has won Offensive Player of the Year, been to the Pro Bowl four times, and is a four-time All Pro.
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