the Minnesota Vikings about a possible trade for wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the offseason, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
At the time, it looked like the Niners might need a new No. 1 wideout with Brandon Aiyuk pushing for a new contract. Jefferson not only stayed in Minnesota, but Aiyuk also penned a four-year extension with San Francisco.
Schefter reported the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts “had some level of interest” in Jefferson, only for the Vikings to shut the discussions down.
As with Aiyuk, there was a lot of contractual intrigue surrounding Jefferson that at least made a trade theoretically possible this summer. Minnesota put the matter to bed when it signed him to a new deal worth $140 million in total.
It made the 25-year-old the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. He told reporters during training camp that his injury-riddled 2023 campaign affected how he’s approaching this year.
“I’m so scared for it to happen again that I’ve been overly cautious about it,” Jefferson said, “just trying to take care of my body in the right way, just trying to find new things that I can implement in my day-to-day life that can better help me throughout the season. I’ve definitely been working on my hamstrings a little bit more, making sure that I’m injury-proof.”
A right hamstring injury limited Jefferson to 10 games in 2023. During an episode of Netflix’s reality series Receiver, it was revealed that he was dealing with a “high grade” strain that typically required a recovery time of eight to 10 weeks.
Despite the injury, Jefferson still finished the year with 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns, his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign. He now owns the NFL record for the most receiving yards through a player’s first four years in the league at 5,899.
Minnesota looks a little different this year following the departure of longtime quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent following six seasons with the Vikings. The team signed veteran backup Sam Darnold and drafted former Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in April. Darnold was named the starter after McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery for a torn meniscus.
Jefferson’s presence on the field is even more important, as Darnold needs as much talent around him as he can get. The Vikings will need the star wideout to stay healthy if they hope to make it back to the playoffs