Surprise team tried to trade for Justin Jefferson before historic deal with Vikings

For a bit there, it felt like the future of Justin Jefferson with the Minnesota Vikings was on uncertain ground. The two sides had publicly struggled to get a deal done, and the aggregators jumped on that in record time to start mocking the most dramatic trades they could think of.

Then, somewhat out of nowhere, the two sides agreed to a deal. And not just any deal – Jefferson's new contract will pay him upwards of $140 million over four years and is the biggest deal for a wide receiver in the history of the NFL. Not only that, but it's the biggest deal for any non-QB in the history of the NFL.

Ultimately, Jefferson's now set to stay in Minnesota for all—or at least most—of his prolific career. And while most people who were covering the team figured this probably was going to happen sooner or later, there were a few juicy rumors about potential trades that fell through. And one of those trades, to an NFC Super Bowl contender, would have been a disaster.

Surprise NFC Contender tried to trade for Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

This bit of juicy gossip comes from a recent episode of Adam Schefter's podcast. In the episode, the NFL insider talks a bit about how things have gone for Jefferson and the Vikings this offseason. While laying out some interesting details about the process, Schefter casually mentions a few teams that made calls on the star wideout.

Schefter reported Tuesday on his podcast that the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers all reached out to Minnesota about a potential Jefferson trade ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

"Every team that called the Vikings before the draft was told, 'We're not trading him.'

...The conversations went nowhere with anybody."

The Jets? Sure, why not? And I respect the Colts for trying. But the 49ers? The defending NFC champion 49ers, who already – at least technically – employ Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel? That's the most interesting team in the bunch.

Maybe it shouldn't be totally surprising considering how willing they've shown themselves to be, even this week, to pay top-of-market money to top-of-market guys. But the good news is that Jefferson's a Viking for the foreseeable future, and the fact that he's not off to make a Super Bowl appearance, like, next season, is just the cherry on top.

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