Justin Jefferson might end up being a better receiver for the Minnesota Vikings than Stefon Diggs.
After the first two games of the season, the Minnesota Vikings were sitting with an 0-2 record, a quarterback who forgot how to throw, and the fact that one of their former top receivers was succeeding in his new home with the Buffalo Bills.
But during the last two weeks, the Vikings have found their groove as an offense and it’s resulted in the emergence of rookie receiver Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson, who was selected with the draft pick Minnesota acquired from the Bills when they sent Stefon Diggs to western New York earlier this year, has quickly developed into a legitimate weapon for a Vikings offense that is averaging 30.5 points and 437 total yards in their last two games.
Meanwhile, Diggs is also experiencing success with the Bills as they are 4-0 and looking to capture their first AFC East title since 1995. Through four games, the former Minnesota pass-catcher’s 403 receiving yards are tied for the NFL lead.
It’s quite possible that Diggs and Jefferson will both end the year with very impressive numbers. But what happens after the current season is what will ultimately determine which team made out best in the trade and so far, Minnesota has quietly taken the lead.
Despite the fact that it’s only been four weeks since the 2020 season began, what are the two biggest reasons why it already seems like the Vikings will come out on the winning end of a trade that sent one of their top receivers to Buffalo?
Jefferson is a legit replacement and possibly an upgrade
After taking a bit to adjust to the NFL level earlier this season since he didn’t have the luxury of a preseason, Justin Jefferson is off to a blazing hot start in his first year with the Vikings.
Through four games, Jefferson has caught 16 passes for 348 yards and one touchdown. The only other player in Minnesota history to have more receiving yards in their first four appearances in the NFL is the guy who the Vikings shipped to Buffalo earlier this year, Stefon Diggs (he had 419).
But despite Diggs racking up more yards than Minnesota’s current rookie pass-catcher, Jefferson has averaged more yards per catch, more yards per target, and he has caught a higher percentage of his targets than Diggs was able to do during his first four games in the Twin Cities.
In Week 3, the Vikings rookie had a monster performance that saw him finish with 175 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Sammy White and some guy named Randy Moss are the only players in Minnesota history to end a game with more receiving yards during their rookie campaigns.
Since he was moved into the starting lineup two weeks ago, Jefferson has proven to be a fine replacement for the guy who used to wear No. 14 for the Vikings.
Based on what we’ve seen from the Minnesota rookie so far this season, it’s no longer crazy to think that he might even end up being a better receiver for the franchise than Diggs was.
Jefferson is a younger and cheaper option
Thanks to the NFL’s decision to lower the contract amounts for incoming rookies in 2011, drafting a player in the first round no longer results in a financial burden for a team.
After the Vikings selected Justin Jefferson with the 22nd pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the rookie agreed to a deal with the team worth a total of $13.1 million and he’ll be under contract until at least the end of the 2023 season.
This year, Stefon Diggs has a cap hit of around $13.5 million. Some simple math reveals that Diggs’ 2020 cap hit is worth more than Jefferson’s entire rookie deal.
If the former Minnesota receiver winds up finishing with some impressive numbers this season with the Bills, it wouldn’t be very surprising if he ends up asking for a new contract this summer that pays him somewhere closer to what some of the top receivers in the NFL are currently making per year (average right now is around $20 million per season).
In addition to his lower cost, Jefferson is also more than five years younger than Diggs. So the Vikings wound up trading Diggs to the Bills and they replaced him with someone who costs less, is younger, has been able to put up similar numbers, and has the potential to develop into an even better receiver.
Diggs is a very talented player, no one is arguing against that. But when both on the field and off the field factors are considered, Minnesota is the team that appears to be the biggest winner from the trade that sent their former receiver to the Bills.