Exciting news: we have our first wild Justin Jefferson trade proposal, and it's only mid-January. There are still games being played! The NFC North has two of them! But that's not stopping the all-consuming content machine, which needs to be fed crazy-clickable trade ideas in oder to sustain it's enormous appetite. Fortunately, our friends at Bleacher Report were up to the task today. In an piece titled 'Predicting the Biggest NFL Trades That Could Shape the 2024 Offseason,' BR goes through a handful of big time trades that, like they aptly mention, could shape the 2024 offseason! A lot of them are ones you've heard before -- Justin Fields to Atlanta, or Davante Adams to the Jets, for example -- but one of their ideas will surely catch the eyes and wrath of Vikings Twitter.
The trade goes like this: Justin Jefferson would get traded to the ... Arizona Cardinals! In return, the Vikings would receive Arizona's 2024 first round pick (#4 overall), a 2025 first-round pick, and one last 2024 third-round pick (#71 overall). It's a pretty wild proposal, especially because Jefferson is maybe the best reciever in football, but also because the Vikings wouldn't get a single player in return. Here's the rationale behind it:
"The idea of trading the consensus best receiver in the league just as he's entering his prime may seem inconceivable, but a longtime Minnesota Vikings beat writer believes the franchise could give serious credence to dealing Justin Jefferson this offseason.Bleacher Report's Alex Kay
According to the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters, a "full-scale rebuild" could occur in the Twin Cities this offseason. Walters noted that it wouldn't make sense for Minnesota to give Jefferson an extension estimated to be worth around $30 million annually if the team is expecting to endure some lean years over the majority of the contract's duration."
It's one of those trades that seems okay in theory and on Twitter. That's a ton of draft capital headed back to Minnesota! If Jefferson's over the idea of being a Viking, it'd be wise of Minnesota to move on while they can recoup top value for him. But in the NFL, title windows -- and "full-scale rebuilds" -- don't really have set timelines. The idea that the Vikings can't contend for another half-decade, therefore wasting Jefferson's prime, doesn't seem entirely based in reality. The Texans are in the AFC Divisional round one year after going 3-13-1; the Jaguars won their division and missed the playoffs entirely this season. Things change fast in the NFL, and sending away one of the best receivers in franchise history -- which is saying something in Minnesota -- just because it doesn't seem like the Super Bowl's happening in the next five years, feels misguided.
But it's a fun trade, and a captivating read. Sometimes that's all you need on a dreary January Wednesday without football.