Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is off to one of, if not the most productive start to an NFL career of any wide receiver in history. Unfortunately for him, his production has cooled down significantly in 2025, though it’s not necessarily his fault.
The Vikings have dealt with significant struggles at the quarterback position this year. Sitting with a 4-8 record as of this writing, they’ve gone through the likes of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer as starting quarterbacks. None of them have been able to replicate the magic Minnesota had with Sam Darnold in their 14-3 campaign last season.
Justin Jefferson’s Production Fuels Trade Speculations
Though the team’s record is an obvious indicator that the quarterback regression has hurt the Vikings, Jefferson’s production has been another prime example, too. Though he still holds the NFL’s all-time record with 93.5 receiving yards per game, he’s averaging a career-low 72.3 yards per game in 2025. Most notably, he had just two catches for four yards in Minnesota’s Week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
PFSN’s own Jason Katz recently indicated that Jefferson’s lackluster stat line speaks to the problems within Minnesota’s organization, going as far as saying the four-time All-Pro should demand a trade this offseason.
PFSN Analyst @jasonkatz13 says that one of the first orders of offseason business for Justin Jefferson is to demand a trade 🗣
Katz says that Jefferson’s 2025 season hit rock bottom with two receptions for four yards in Week 13 as Max Brosmer put on the worst performance of any… pic.twitter.com/JbFPI9wEew
— PFSN (@PFSN365) December 1, 2025
Jefferson has three years left in his four-year, $140 million contract extension he signed in 2024. He’s the second-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, and it’s hard to argue against that being fair value.
Pulling off a trade would be difficult financially. If the Vikings deal Jefferson in the 2026 offseason, they would eat over $46 million in dead cap next year, costing them $7.4 million against their cap space in the process. A post-June 1 trade would be easier, as it would free up $25.5 million in space in 2026 for Minnesota, but they’d have to eat nearly $33 million in dead cap in 2027.
It’s not an easy trade to pull off financially, and one could argue that trading an All-Pro wide receiver isn’t exactly a vote of confidence in McCarthy, who’s only in his first year as a starting quarterback. Still, should Jefferson choose to request a trade, they’d be hard-pressed to sell their star weapon on a quarterback he doesn’t believe in.
Note that trade speculation to this point is purely that: speculation. As of this writing, there’s been nothing indicating that Jefferson wants out of Minnesota. Should he make such a demand, however, these five NFL teams would make sense as potential landing spots.
Buffalo Bills
It’s becoming a running gag that the Buffalo Bills are consistently unable to get over the hump that is beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason. They’re consistently one of the top teams in the NFL, but they’ve yet to make a Super Bowl since Josh Allen became their quarterback. Should they fail to reach that goal again this year, they may need to swing for the fences, even if it means getting creative with their lack of cap space.
One area of improvement is their wide receiver room. They’ve been lacking a true No. 1 receiver since they traded Stefon Diggs in 2024. Khalil Shakir is a perfectly capable complementary weapon, but Buffalo doesn’t have a star pass-catcher on their offense to instill fear into opposing offenses. Allen has been an MVP before with a middling supporting cast. Imagine what he could do with an elite WR1 like Jefferson.
Denver Broncos
Going into the 2026 offseason, the Denver Broncos have roughly $46 million in cap space to work with. That’s a dangerous proposition for a team that’s already 10-2 this season. Granted, a lot of those wins have been narrow, and they’ve had some close calls against bad competition. That said, you never apologize for winning in the NFL, and the Broncos are now in the driver’s seat in a competitive AFC West.
The Broncos have talent at wide receiver already, with second-year weapon Troy Franklin stepping into a bigger role alongside Courtland Sutton this season. However, Denver is seeing that their offense isn’t quite up to par with the other top teams in the AFC. Bringing in Jefferson would be an instant elevator of their offense, and it would be an aggressive move to take advantage of Bo Nix’s rookie contract window.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are in a similar situation to the Broncos, in that they don’t necessarily have a bad group of wide receivers. Stefon Diggs is on pace to flirt with 1,000 receiving yards by the end of the year, and Kayshon Boutte has improved over time. But it’s clear that they don’t have a dominant top receiver in their offense yet.
Drake Maye has been an MVP-caliber performer in 2025, and he’s doing so without an elite threat at wide receiver. The Patriots currently have the ninth-most cap space in the NFL for next offseason, so they could afford to take on Jefferson’s contract. If New England wants to compete with the Bills atop the AFC East consistently, a splash move like this one could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Baltimore Ravens
Despite having a large cap hit from Lamar Jackson’s contract, the Baltimore Ravens have a decent amount of cap space to work with in the 2026 offseason. Granted, they’re likely going to use that money to extend top young players currently on their roster like Tyler Linderbaum, Travis Jones, or Isaiah Likely, all of whom are slated to hit free agency this offseason.
But what if the Ravens go for something a little bolder? At 6-6, they’re in the midst of a down season and haven’t seen the same explosiveness out of their offense that they’re used to.
Part of that comes down to Jackson dealing with injuries, but their receiver room is thin: other than Zay Flowers, they don’t have a single receiver in the top 80 in WRi grading. Defending an offense with Jefferson, Flowers, Jackson, and Derrick Henry would be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams.
San Francisco 49ers
There’s only one NFC team on this list, as there aren’t many contending teams with a combination of a need at wide receiver and the financial flexibility to take on Jefferson’s massive contract. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams have cap space this offseason, but neither has needs at receiver. The Philadelphia Eagles have neither the space nor the need, and it’s unlikely the Vikings would trade him within the NFC North.
Ultimately, the 49ers could make sense. Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne are free agents this offseason, and after Brandon Aiyuk got his 2026 guarantees voided, he’s unlikely to return next year.
That leaves San Francisco with Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson as their two top returning receivers. The 49ers have been hit hard by free agency departures in recent years, so they might be reluctant to give up premier draft capital. That said, trading for Jefferson might be what they need to remain competitive in a deep NFC.