NFL Reports: The Colts have finally signed Justin Jefferson to a $195 million contract… See more
The Minnesota Vikings announced they agreed to a contract extension with wide receiver Justin Jefferson on Monday, but other teams around the league reportedly thought he was at least available enough to reach out about trades prior to that development.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday on his podcast that the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers all reached out to Minnesota about a potential Jefferson trade ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.
“Every team that called the Vikings before the draft was told ‘we’re not trading him,'” Schefter said (six-minute mark). “The conversations went nowhere with anybody.”
Instead, Jefferson will be with the Vikings on a significant contract for the foreseeable future.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported the extension is for four years and worth $140 million, which makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. It may not stay that way for too long with wide receivers such as Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb possibly in line for new deals in the near future, but Minnesota paid its No. 1 option handsomely.
And his play justifies it.
Jefferson is just 24 years old and already has an Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Pro selection and three Pro Bowl nods on his resume in four seasons in the league. He has never failed to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a season and led the NFL with 1,809 receiving yards in 2022.
The LSU product even reached 1,074 receiving yards last season while fighting through injuries that limited him to just 10 games.
That a number of other teams thought it was worthwhile to check on his availability doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
New York would have been far more difficult to deal with if it paired Jefferson with Garrett Wilson. San Francisco would have featured a downright unfair collection of weapons with Christian McCaffrey, Jefferson, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, even if adding the Vikings’ playmaker eventually meant moving on from Brandon Aiyuk.
Indianapolis would have added a clear-cut No. 1 option for young quarterback Anthony Richardson and surely accelerated his development in such a situation.
Alas, Jefferson will remain with the Vikings, who will attempt to return to the top of the NFC North following a disappointing 7-10 campaign in 2023.
