Various reporters out there have thrown out the possibility of the Minnesota Vikings trading superstar wideout Justin Jefferson this offseason. This suggestion has seemed almost unfathomable due to Jefferson’s emergence as one of the premier wideouts in the NFL. Unfortunately, the emergence of the other NFC North teams has found the Vikings in a precarious position heading into 2024. The Lions have a good young roster that isn’t going away, the Packers found yet ANOTHER QB of the future and have a plethora of young skill players around him, and the Bears have won the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
If the Vikings don’t get with the times, they could find themselves stuck in the NFC North wilderness for the forseeable future. As much as I hate to say it, it’s time for the team to trade Justin Jefferson, for a few reasons.
Vikings’ Complex Cap Situation
The highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL right now is Tyreek Hill, who is being paid $30 million per season by the Miami Dolphins. There is no doubt that Jefferson will want his new contract to exceed that, and rightfully so. He deserves every penny of what he’s going to get.
Unfortunately, the Vikings find themselves in a sticky cap situation. While the Vikings have $37 million in cap space heading into the offseason, they have multiple key free agents. This includes quarterback Kirk Cousins, their two starting edge rushers in Danielle Hunter and DJ Wonnum, guard Dalton Risner, and wide receiver K.J. Osborn. Plus, left tackle Christian Darrisaw will be up for an extension starting this offseason. Cousins and Hunter will not come cheap, and both will have massive leverage considering that the Vikings are an entirely different team without them on the field.
Potential Trade Return Could Be Enormous
Speaking of Tyreek Hill, the Kansas City Chiefs got a HAUL for him when they moved him. The Chiefs got five draft picks- a 2022 first-rounder, 2022 second-rounder, two fourth-rounders in 2022 and 2023, and a 2023 sixth-rounder. The Chiefs then used those picks to move up for cornerback Trent McDuffie and then took wide receivers Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice. If Tyreek Hill went for that much, the Vikings can easily get more for Jefferson including the potential of two first-rounders.
The Vikings need draft picks, and they need to use them to draft primarily defensive players. The only building blocks the team has on defense right now are linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and safeties Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus. If Hunter and Wonnum both leave, the team will have a massive hole at edge rusher. On offense, the team needs to draft their QB of the future and rebuild the interior of the offensive line.
I should also throw in that the Vikings used the first-round pick they acquired in the Stefon Diggs trade to draft Jefferson.
Emergence of Jordan Addison
The Vikings used their 2023 first-round pick on USC wide receiver Jordan Addison. While Puka Nacua of the Rams became the best rookie wideout by a landslide, Addison had a good claim for second best having posted 70 catches for 911 yards and ten touchdowns. If the Vikings trade Jefferson, they will already have a new number one to take over.
First-Round Receivers Are Overrated
One of the main things that nobody is talking about in today’s NFL is that wide receivers are becoming a little bit like running backs- they are easier than ever to develop. Many of the top receivers in the NFL were NOT first round picks. Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, and Cooper Kupp were taken in the second and third rounds. Some notable Day 3 wide receivers include Hill, Diggs, Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The Vikings should know a thing or two about developing wide receivers. Outside of Jefferson and Randy Moss, many Viking receiver greats haven’t been first-round guys. Cris Carter, who is the Vikings’ all-time leading receiver, was a supplemental draft pick by the Eagles who was a $100 waiver claim by Minnesota after being cut by Philadelphia. Diggs was a fifth-round pick, and Adam Thielen was undrafted. Two receivers who went onto become among the team’s five all-time leading receivers, Anthony Carter and Jake Reed, were selected in the 12th and third rounds, respectively.
In an ideal world, the Vikings would not trade Justin Jefferson and would hand him a blank check so he can make whatever he wants. Unfortunately, we live in a salary cap league and trading Jefferson is probably a necessity to start the process of rebuilding the roster. The Vikings can get a massive draft haul for Jefferson and hopefully use those picks to develop building blocks for the future. This is a team that traded Randy Moss, so an unfortunate trade of Jefferson should not be ruled out whatsoever.
