Vikings report: Packers tried to trade up for Justin Jefferson at 2020 draft
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings seem to have hit a home run when they drafted Justin Jefferson with the No. 22 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. The rookie receiver broke numerous franchise and NFL records on his way to 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year with the team.
Quite a few things had to fall Minnesota’s way for them to be able to land Jefferson. The most obvious was the Eagles making the decision to draft a different wide receiver, Jalen Reagor, one spot ahead of where the Vikings landed the former LSU pass catcher.
On Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport dropped a bit of a bomb on Twitter when he revealed that the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers were trying to move up and snag Justin Jefferson away from the purple and gold.
Here is that tweet:
The draft is the ultimate what-if. In 2020, #Packers GM Brian Gutekunst targeted a WR. He tried to trade up for LSU WR Justin Jefferson, only to see MIN take him. He watched the #49ers trade up for ASU WR Brandon Aiyuk - another target. Then GB moved up to select… Jordan Love.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 3, 2021
Jefferson to Green Bay would have changed a lot
It is one thing to picture Minnesota’s offense without Justin Jefferson, but it’s another to picture him in the Packers offense with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams knowing the Vikings would need to play him at least twice a year.
Plus, the situation involving Aaron Rodgers’ unhappiness with the Packers front office may have been squashed entirely had they been able to trade up for Jefferson. Green Bay would have landed an amazing weapon for their MVP quarterback and the pick wouldn’t have been used to select the potential passer of the future, Jordan Love, with their first-round selection.
The impact on the Vikings
Minnesota would have still needed to add a top receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft. The next three wide receivers drafted after Jefferson in the 2020 NFL Draft were Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, and Michael Pittman Jr. Although those three pass catchers.
While those three pass-catchers are good, there is no question that both the Vikings and their fans have to be happy that Justin Jefferson landed in the laps of the Minnesota Vikings during the 2020 NFL Draft…and that he didn’t wind up with the Green Bay Packers.