The Minnesota Vikings have several massive decisions to make in regards to the direction of their franchise moving forward.
Both quarterback Kirk Cousins and star wide receiver Justin Jefferson are due for new contracts — and there’s uncertainty on if the team is able to retain both of its key offensive weapons due to the large price tag for each player.
When it comes to Jefferson, the Vikings are focused on one outcome: extending the phenom receiver to keep him in Purple.
Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke to media members Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine and was asked if trading Jefferson is on the table.
Adofo-Mensah didn’t hesitate.
“That is not something that’s once crossed my mind,” he said from Indianapolis. “You’ve got a ‘blue’ player, a ‘blue’ person, you try to keep as many of those as you can.”
‘Blue’ refers to “blue chip,” the premier color in a coding system often used by personnel departments to group players.
Justin Jefferson, whom the Vikings selected 22nd overall in 2020, recently finished his fourth season in Minnesota – and fourth straight of surpassing the 1,000 receiving yard mark. His 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns last season are especially impressive considering he missed seven games due to a hamstring injury.
Adofo-Mensah said Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings had “a lot of great dialogue” last offseason.
“I think people forget, deals rarely happen after three years, and there’s a reason. Two years left, there’s uncertainty that somebody’s gotta hold. Either the club’s gotta hold or the player’s gotta hold,” he explained. “There’s new money, old money. How do you look at contracts? Those are very hard conversations to have, so a lot of them don’t get done. We got unbelievably close.
“I promised them, and I will continue to promise them, that I will not talk about our negotiations,” he added. “I think this job should be done with integrity. So there’s a lot of stuff that I hear that’s completely false; but I can’t get up here and tell you what’s not true or what’s not false, because that’s not how I promised to do this job. But I will tell you we’re excited to have him and to continue having those conversations, because he’s someone we want around for a long time.”
He sounded less confident when asked about Cousins, but simply noted negotiations were ongoing.
Minnesota Vikings Star Justin Jefferson Facing Serious Allegations In New Lawsuit
According to the Daily Mail, the Vikings star is facing serious allegations in a new lawsuit filed by a former girlfriend.
The Justin Jefferson paternity lawsuit filed by Andrea Galea has her seeking a paternity test, financial support, and healthcare coverage. The Vikings wideout’s countersuit is also asking for a paternity test as well as “an injunction against Galea to prevent her from sharing information about the child.”
These dueling lawsuits come as Jefferson is on the verge of a potentially history-making contract extension. After putting up the most receiving yards ever (5,899) through a player’s first four NFL seasons, the WR is looking to become the highest-paid player at his position and any position outside of quarterback the league has ever seen.