Vikings Trade Jefferson for ‘Haul of All Hauls

After losing two of their three most important players in the first two days of free agency, concerns are now being raised about All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson’s long-term future with the Minnesota Vikings.

On Tuesday, March 12, the cast of ESPN’s “Get Up” talked about the situation in Minnesota, which came less than a day after quarterback Kirk Cousins departed the Vikings for the Atlanta Falcons and was replaced by former San Francisco 49ers backup Sam Darnold in Minnesota.

“Should the Vikings think about trying to get the biggest haul ever and [trade] Justin Jefferson if they’re rebuilding?” host Mike Greenberg enquired.

NFL commentator and former general manager Mike Tannenbaum answered, “Yeah, absolutely.” If you’re the Minnesota Vikings, you also have to worry about Justin Jefferson coming up to your door and saying, “Hey, I want to get traded.” It’s not my desire to play with Sam Darnold. I’m tired of being here.

Following his tenure as general manager and executive vice president of the New York Jets from 2006 to 2012, Tannenbaum warned Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah about the team’s aggressive reshaping efforts during his first two years in office. Tannenbaum later served as executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins from 2015 to 2018.

“This is tearing it down to the studs, so you have to be careful because all of a sudden you’re going from Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Cook, and maybe Justin Jefferson,” Tannenbaum said. Therefore, this might be a serious issue for Minnesota if they proceed down that path and manage to get two first-round selections for Justin Jefferson, who is possibly the finest receiver in the league aside from Tyreek Hill.

If Justin Jefferson is traded by the Vikings, he will create a thriving market.

The wide receiver’s potential return was estimated by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell in October 2023, when he looked at players on every team with first-round trade value. Barnwell projected Jefferson’s return at a value far higher than a first-round pick: “I don’t think Jefferson would land three first-round picks in a trade, but the Vikings likely would be able to nab two first-rounders and a mid-round pick or a starting-caliber veteran if they decided to rebuild from the ground up and trade him.”

Although Tannenbaum made no mention of potential suitors for Jefferson, the list of uninterested teams would likely end up being smaller than the list of teams open to negotiations.

For his first three seasons, Jefferson was selected to the Pro Bowl, and in 2022, he was one of the two wide receivers on the first team of the All-Pro team. Despite playing in just five games with Cousins at quarterback, he still managed to accumulate 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 despite missing seven games due to a hamstring ailment.

Although Jefferson gave Cousins support in his remarks to the public between the end of the season and the quarterback’s departure to Atlanta on Monday, the receiver never explicitly said that the return of Cousins to the team was necessary to keep him happy. Jefferson is eligible for an extension, and if he signs a new contract—with the Vikings or with another team—he will probably reset the market at his position.

Vikings Let Top Players Walk in Free Agency, Taking a Big Risk

By allowing Cousins and Hunter to depart, Minnesota took a big risk, especially considering that they had missed out on chances to trade for them before the trade deadline of the previous season or to extend their contracts before the 2023 campaign.

Nevertheless, Adofo-Mensah deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt. After four straight Pro Bowl seasons, running back Cook went off a cliff, thus he was right to cut him before the previous season.

Even though Cousins had amazing regular-season results, he is 1-4 as a starter in the playoffs, is recovering from the worst injury of his career, and will be 36 years old when he plays next season. He would undoubtedly be a better option than Darnold, but Minnesota couldn’t justify Cousins’ asking price of $180 million over four years, with a full guarantee of $100 million.

Out of the three choices, letting Hunter go to the Houston Texans is the most foolish. Hunter concluded the previous season with 16.5 sacks and a league-high 23.5 tackles for loss.

But powerful blitz packages are the foundation of Brian Flores’ defense, and the Vikings signed Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard to man the edges. In 2023, the two guys combined to generate 18.5 bags; these figures are expected to increase.

While the Texans granted Hunter $48 million guaranteed over two years, Adofo-Mensah locked them in for a total of $56 million guaranteed over a combined six years.

The league will ultimately assess Adofo-Mensah based on who he selects to take Cousins’ role in the long run. The Vikings have the No. 11 pick in this class, and that player will likely be a rookie quarterback. The NFL community as a whole will view Adofo-Mensah as a genius if the Vikings land Jefferson and strike out with that quarterback. He might not last long for Minnesota if he loses on either count.