From Nick (@nvm551):
Nick, I know there have been signs of trouble. That Jefferson didn’t sign a new deal after his third year, when he was first eligible for one, isn’t the best sign. That he got hurt playing a fourth year on his rookie deal doesn’t help, either. And then there’s the reality that Kirk Cousins is now gone, Sam Darnold has arrived, and who will be playing for the Minnesota Vikings in September or October—let alone in 2025 or ’26—is still very up in the air.
That said, I know the Vikings haven’t planned to move Jefferson. It’s hard to see how they could come to a place where it would benefit them to offload a 24-year-old who’s probably among the top 10 or so players in football, regardless of position.
But to have fun with this, let’s say Minnesota is offered two first-round picks for Jefferson. That sounds like it could be good for a Vikings team that’s in the midst of a two-year roster reset, which might be accelerated by the departure of Cousins. That said, it’s likely the team you’re trading with (a contender, or one Jefferson will willingly do an extension with) is picking in the back end of the first round. It’s also logical to think that said team will have a lower pick next year, with Jefferson on the roster. So we’re maybe talking about two picks in the 20s.
That sounds a lot different than just saying two first-rounders, doesn’t it? And sure, there’s the financial benefit that those two players would come at a cheaper price than Jefferson, but it’s also no sure thing that they’ll be, you know, any good. That’s why, in the end, I’d bet on Minnesota jumping through the hoops it needs to in order to get a deal done for the NFL’s 2022 OPOY—and it’s also certainly possible Jefferson has a new quarterback in late April who might change his viewpoint on all of this.
