Insider suggests Vikings could include Justin Jefferson in draft trade

NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested on Tuesday that the Minnesota Vikings may not have completely slammed the door shut on trading star wide receiver Justin Jefferson before or during the upcoming NFL Draft. 

After ESPN's Field Yates questioned on Monday if the Vikings would be able to package overall draft picks No. 11 and No. 23 this year in a deal to move up into the top five of the draft order, Florio noted that Jefferson could "be in play for a trade that would allow the Vikings to draft their first true franchise quarterback since (Hall of Famer) Fran Tarkenton" because the team hasn't yet paid the 24-year-old. 

Florio said that ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t Bring Me The Sports) revealing in March that Jefferson's camp "turned down in excess of $30M" per year before the 2023 season showed that "the Vikings are clearly exasperated by the situation." Jefferson is in the final year of his rookie contract, and it's believed the wideout wants to ink a deal that will make him the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback.

"That surely didn’t come from the player," Florio added about Schefter's story. "The team wants to look reasonable and/or not cheap when it comes to not paying Jefferson." 

As recently as Monday, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN predicted that the Vikings would have to trade selections No. 11 and No. 23 this year along with a 2025 first-round pick to move up to choice No. 5. It's unclear if the Washington Commanders would move off pick No. 2 or if the New England Patriots would trade down from selection No. 3 to land Jefferson, as both of those clubs are expected to spend their high draft assets on quarterbacks. 

The Commanders are routinely linked in mock drafts with LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels and Michigan starter J.J. McCarthy. New England could select Daniels, McCarthy or North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 depending on who is available. 

"If they intend to pay him, what’s the delay? It won’t get cheaper over time," Florio said about the Vikings' relationship with Jefferson. "The best thing to do is to just do it now, make him happy, and move forward. And if, after months of negotiations, the Vikings realize they’re never going to make him happy, they need to send him to someone who will." 

Any team that acquired Jefferson in a blockbuster trade would almost certainly ask that he agree to a monster contract extension as part of the transaction. Perhaps he'd happily put pen to paper on such a deal if he knew that his new club planned on drafting Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at pick No. 11.