NFL insider expands on Vikings' Justin Jefferson trade mindset

Dianna Russini, Alec Lewis and Larry Holder of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Minnesota Vikings "have no plans to trade All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson" even though quarterback Kirk Cousins left the club to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. 

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated expanded on Minnesota's mindset in a mailbag published on Wednesday. 

"I know the Vikings haven’t planned to move Jefferson," Breer revealed. "...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." 

Specifically, some have linked Jefferson in stories with the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, among other teams. Those clubs are expected to compete for at least playoff berths next season as long as their first-choice starting quarterbacks stay healthy for 17 games. 

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell insisted before Cousins' departure that Jefferson won't be traded this spring or summer. 

The money Minnesota saved by not paying Cousins theoretically could be used to make Jefferson the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback at some point this offseason. 

"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 (Offensive Player of the Year)—and it’s also certainly possible Jefferson has a new quarterback in late April who might change his viewpoint on all of this," Breer added. 

Breer presumably was referencing how individuals such as Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic, Luke Easterling of Sports Illustrated and Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports all predicted this week that Minnesota will move up in the draft order from pick No. 11 to the fifth selection to grab a to-be rookie quarterback. 

The Vikings recently came to terms on an agreement with Sam Darnold after he spent the bulk of the 2023 season as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. 

That one-year deal shouldn't prevent Minnesota from making a major quarterback-related move before or during the draft.