Despite the fact that Justin Jefferson is the sort of talent teams simply do not trade away, the NFL world wondered if the Minnesota Vikings might do just that this offseason.
Jefferson was coming off an injury-riddled season, was up for a new market-setting contract and the team lost quarterback Kirk Cousins to free agency. Of course, none of it made a difference and Minnesota happily offered the superstar receiver a four-year, $140 million new deal with $110 million guaranteed.
However, it turns out the lack of movement on the Jefferson trade front was not due to lack of interest from outside parties. On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed three teams checked in on his availability in an effort to trade for the All-Pro wideout: the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. Any attempts to start trade talks were "immediately rebuffed," per Schefter.
Of those squads, the 49ers are obviously the most interesting. They narrowly lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs and already boast the best collection of skill position players in the NFL. Adding Jefferson, presumably by trading away Brandon Aiyuk after his contract issues this offseason, would have made them even more dangerous.
The Jets' inclusion is also intriguing, as it reflects just how all-in the front office is on this year and how much is riding on Aaron Rodgers's' ability to bounce back from his torn Achilles last season. The Colts aren't expected to compete like the other two teams mentioned but clearly want to find an elite pass-catching target for young quarterback Anthony Richardson.
A fun what-if to imagine as the 2024 season gets going.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Teams Tried Trading for Vikings' Justin Jefferson in Offseason, per Report.
