Justin Jefferson Brushes Aside Talk of Trade Amid Vikings’ Winless Start

The receiver emphasized how the team shouldn’t be counted out after just three games.

The Vikings have yet to win a game three weeks into the 2023 NFL season, so it would make sense why speculation regarding a trade of receiver Justin Jefferson would spark up.

Even though Jefferson has already had a historic campaign, Minnesota hasn’t followed suit. And, since the Vikings and Jefferson didn’t reach a contract extension agreement ahead of the year, the receiver’s future with the franchise won’t be determined until after the season.

Could a trade be on the horizon? It’s not out of the question, but it sounds like Jefferson doesn’t think trade talk should be the focus right now.

“It’s just really being confined to ourselves, knowing who is in this building and what we’re trying to accomplish,” Jefferson said, via ESPN. “And I feel like that’s all that really matters.”

While Jefferson stayed clear of answering any trade questions while speaking to media Thursday, he did harp on the fact that it’s too early to count the Vikings out for the year.

“At the end of the day it’s not going to be perfect every time,” Jefferson said. “There’s things that you’ve got to go through throughout the season to really tell if you’re going to be a great team or not. We’re handling adversity early in the season with the turnovers and being 0–3, but there is a whole bunch of more games to go.

“I’m tired of people saying that we’re looking into next season or all of the trades and stuff like that,” he continued. “We’re focused still on this season. We have a lot more games to go and we have a lot more things to accomplish this season. We’re still focused in, and we still have the same goal as we had before the season. We just need to fix a few things and I feel like we’ll be back on track.”

In the team’s Week 2 game, Jefferson tied the NFL record for being the fastest player to reach 5,000 career receiving yards when he did so in just 52 games. He currently leads the league in receiving through three weeks with 458 yards.