Vikings WR Justin Jefferson pitches his preferred Kirk Cousins replacement

Though the Minnesota Vikings signed 26-year-old Sam Darnold in the wake of Kirk Cousins’ departure to the Atlanta Falcons, they’re expected to add another player or two at the quarterback position.

While the 2024 NFL Draft might be the logical place to start looking, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson made it known during a recent appearance on FS1’s “The Herd” which signal-caller he prefers the Vikings go get as they head into the post-Cousins era.

“We have to build on for after Kirk or whatever the case may be,” Jefferson said. “Having Justin Fields brings a little bit more pressure to other teams by having a dominant quarterback like he is.”

Typically requests like Jefferson’s fall on deaf ears, but the 24-year-old wideout actually holds a bit of leverage in this situation.

The Vikings want to sign Jefferson, who’s regarded by many as the top receiver in the NFL, to a contract extension. However, it’s been reported that he’s informed the team he won’t sign any new deal until he knows who the quarterback will be long-term.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, signed a one-year deal with Minnesota a few days ago, but it’s unlikely he will factor into the team’s big-picture plans for the future.

“I just don’t think Minnesota can go to Justin Jefferson and say, ‘Hey, we want to re-sign you, our starting quarterback is a one-year deal guy,’” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said Tuesday on “NFL Live.” “…I just don’t think Justin is going to ‘Yup, I’m going to sign long term’ without knowing what the future is.”