Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been widely mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, simply because the two sides have yet to reach a contract extension.
Justin Jefferson is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. Given his status as the best wide receiver in football, it’s noteworthy that the two sides have failed to find ground on a new deal.
There aren’t indicators on either end that a trade is inevitable. But what if if Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gets an offer he can’t refuse for the soon-to-be 25-year-old?
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed a league-changing trade proposal idea that has Minnesota trading Justin Jefferson to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for fellow star wideout Tee Higgins and 2025 first and third-round picks:
“The LSU trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson was the engine behind one of college football’s greatest offenses in 2019.
If they were reunited, they would undoubtedly do the same to the league. The Bengals’ battery of Burrow and Chase is already one of the best quarterback-wide receiver connections in the league when they are both healthy. Adding Jefferson to that mix would be unfair to defenses around the league.”
The fact that this was Justin Jefferson's first career touchdown is just so perfect: pic.twitter.com/SNKLlOjgWg
— Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) July 20, 2022
Regarding Ballentine’s proposal, it certainly feels fair for both sides. Minnesota would be getting a new No. 1 receiver in Higgins, plus two valuable early-round selections to bolster their roster.
But the Bengals still have to extend Chase and don’t appear keen on keeping Higgins long-term, so it’s unlikely they would complete a trade for Jefferson without agreeing to a new deal ahead of time. Nonetheless, it’s still fun to envision Chase and Jefferson playing together.
Vikings Need To Pay Justin Jefferson
If the Vikings listened to trade offers for Jefferson, there wouldn’t be a shortage of compelling offers coming their way.
But the odds of Minnesota getting equal or greater value in a Jefferson trade are awfully slim. The organization’s best bet is to pay the league’s best-non quarterback what he’s worth, because players of Jefferson’s caliber do not come around very often.
