Mike Florio reiterates the possibility of a Justin Jefferson trade
The Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson couldn't come to an extension prior to Sunday's season opener with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and although he's still under contract through 2024, there's still plenty of speculation regarding his contract status.
That includes speculation from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who reiterated the possibility that the Vikings could trade Justin Jefferson in order to get a quarterback in next year's draft.
Florio first approached the topic on KFAN with Paul Allen earlier this week in the event that Jefferson and the Vikings didn't reach an extension. In his theory, the Vikings could trade Jefferson as part of a package to move up for USC quarterback Caleb Williams or North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye in next year's draft if Jordan Addison is what they expect him to be in his rookie season.
"[Addison's] the new J.J. and then in comes the franchise quarterback," Florio reasoned. "I don't care how good your receiver is it doesn't do anything without a quarterback to get him the ball."
Florio also pointed out that while Jefferson's relationship with the Vikings hasn't soured, the franchise has a long history of great receivers who were traded in their prime including Percy Harvin, Randy Moss and Stefon Diggs.
With that in mind, Florio believes that trading Jefferson might be best way for the Vikings to find the long-term starting quarterback they haven't had since Fran Tarkenton.
"I think they understand that you can't consistently contend [and] you can't get to the top of the mountain without that quarterback," Florio said. "There's nothing more blatant than what we saw 4th-and-8 [in the playoffs against the New York Giants]. Throw the ball five yards short of the sticks instead of throwing it to Justin Jefferson and let him go get it, so I think that's the way the wind is blowing."
When Florio made those comments, it seemed like Jefferson and the Vikings would be able to reach a deal. With the two sides reportedly breaking off contract negotiations over the weekend, Florio reiterated his stance in an article on Pro Football Talk.
Florio noted that Jefferson's issue may be the Vikings' guarantee structure on a deal where they have refused to pay a player's guaranteed money a full year in advance (i.e. guaranteeing a player's 2025 salary in March of 2024).
While the current Vikings' front office has resisted the idea, they've made an exception to one player on the roster: quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The idea the Vikings were willing to bend their philosophy on Cousins makes Florio believe the Vikings are more interested in finding a long-term franchise quarterback than a franchise receiver. Florio believes this could irk Jefferson's camp to the point of requesting a trade, which could clear the way for a blockbuster deal.
"The Vikings clearly aren't sweating that possibility," Florio said. "...The failure to extend Jefferson could be the first step in a scenario that entails trading him to a team holding a draft pick high enough to deliver a franchise quarterback for the Vikings."
Florio also reiterated that this scenario also hinges on the development of Addison.
"A franchise quarterback means more to an NFL organization than a stellar receiver," Florio said. "If Addison turns out to be a great receiver too, the Vikings can keep him and trade Jefferson in a way that positions them to get the true year-in-and-year-out franchise quarterback they haven't had since they traded with the Giants to bring Tarkenton back to Minnesota in the 1970s."
Florio's logic hits a roadblock when considering the Vikings need to find a team that's bad but also not in need of a quarterback.
The one team to watch could be the Indianapolis Colts, who drafted Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft but are projected to be one of the NFL's worst teams as they battle with running back Jonathan Taylor over a new extension.
This scenario opens a whole world of possibilities and it will be interesting to see if Florio's logic plays out over the next year.
