Recently, Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been the subject of trade rumors.
Jefferson is currently heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and the Vikings reportedly remain in negotiations with the 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year on a potential long-term pact.
They also have no intention of trading Jefferson, according to Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
“The Vikings came close to extending WR Justin Jefferson last offseason. In Indy, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah aggressively rejected the idea of trading the star. Kirk Cousins’ departure hasn’t changed things. The Vikings have no plans to trade Jefferson, sources tell me and @alec_lewis,” Russini wrote on X/Twitter Wednesday morning.
While injuries limited Jefferson to only 10 games in 2023, he still eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth time in as many professional seasons.
Jefferson led the NFL in catches (128) and receiving yards (1,809) the previous season, and has logged 392 receptions, 5,899 yards and 30 touchdowns in 60 career regular season games.
Currently, the Vikings’ quarterback depth chart consists of veteran free agent signing Sam Darnold, journeyman Nick Mullens and 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall after Cousins elected to sign a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite the uncertainty at that position–and the cryptic tweets from Jefferson’s friend and former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase–it seems like the Vikings aren’t planning on dealing their best offensive weapon.
We’ll see if anything changes throughout the rest of the offseason.