Justin Jefferson will soon have to get used to Kirk Cousins not feeding him the football in 2024. But the All-Pro wide receiver dropped a stirring suggestion on who the Minnesota Vikings can turn to next: Justin Fields.
Justin Jefferson Makes Sales Pitch for Vikings To Grab Justin Fields
In an appearance on “The Herd” with Fox Sports 1 radio personality Colin Cowherd Tuesday, Jefferson made his attempt to lobby for the Vikings’ next quarterback.
In this case, he’s endorsing a rival of Minnesota to come in and take the reins bequeathed by the four-time Pro Bowler Cousins.
“We have to build on for after Kirk. Having Justin Fields brings a little more pressure to other teams by having a dominant quarterback — like he is,” Jefferson said.
That would mean the Vikings making a trade offer to their division rivals to acquire the former 2021 first-round selection.
Fields, though, is rumored to soon be replaced by Caleb Williams out of USC, with many fans projecting he’ll be taken first overall by the Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Could Jefferson Entertain Seeking a Trade? Analysts Weigh In
While Jefferson believes Fields is the right guy to lead the Vikings’ offense, Minnesota has another former first-rounder on his way in Sam Darnold.
The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is expected to sign a one-year, $10 million deal to join the Vikings, per NFL.com. But Darnold’s pending arrival won’t necessarily convince Jefferson to stay much longer in Minnesota.
Former NFL quarterback turned ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky and insider Adam Schefter debated Jefferson’s Vikings future following the Darnold news on Tuesday during NFL Live. Both believe that Jefferson may not sound too enthusiastic about the direction Minnesota is heading.
“I just don’t think Minnesota can go to Justin Jefferson and say, ‘Hey, we want to re-sign you. Our starting quarterback is a one-year deal guy.’ Now I love Sam Darnold, but I just don’t think Justin is going to ‘Yup, I’m going to sign long term’ without knowing what the future is,” Orlovsky said.
Schefter included how Jefferson turned down $30 million per year from Minnesota before the 2023 season.
“It becomes an organizational decision. If you’re the Minnesota Vikings, are you going to pay what it’s going to take to make Justin Jefferson the highest-paid wide receiver in football…do you want to do that right now? Or, do you want to say, ‘As much as we love the player, as great as he is, maybe we’re better off starting from scratch starting with the quarterback,” Schefter speculated.
“I wouldn’t want to part ways with Justin Jefferson. But you can’t just say, ‘OK, we’re re-signing him to a deal, and we’ll call him $35 million a year’ when the organization is where it’s at,” Schefter continued. “Does he want to do that? Do they want to do that? Both sides need to figure this out. It’s not a layup that its getting done.”
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On Monday, the Vikings were mentioned by PFN as a potential landing spot for Fields. Yet, Minnesota could opt to draft former Michigan star QB J.J. McCarthy, for example, come April, as they hold the No. 11 selection in the first round.
Minnesota is clearly in a dilemma in trying to figure out who replaces Cousins while also figuring out Jefferson’s next contract. But in Jefferson’s mind, Fields being lured in can help erase those dilemmas.
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