The Minnesota Vikings are in a tough spot, and much of that has to do with the presence of wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson is entering the final year of his deal, as the Vikings have failed to strike a contract extension with him since last offseason.
Now, things have gotten even hairier in Minnesota, as Kirk Cousins departed for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, leaving the Vikings without a quarterback.
Alex Lewis of The Athletic says this has created a sense of desperation within Minnesota’s front office.
“I think there is,” Lewis told Tom Curran of NBC Sports. “Justin’s a guy who wants a lot of money. But he also wants to be in a situation where he can win football games year after year. He wants to be a Hall of Famer; he wants to wear a gold jacket. He wants to be relevant and winning provides those opportunities. And to win you need a quarterback.”
Lewis added that while it is unknown which quarterback the Vikings are targeting in the NFL Draft next month, Minnesota is going to do whatever it can to ensure it gets the signal-caller it wants.
“At this point, it is hard to identify which guy it is specifically,” Lewis said. “But I would be very surprised if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah – a GM who derives from Wall Street – is not going to do everything he can to trade to the optimal spot where he feels like he can find his guy and head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s guy.”
The Vikings own two first-round draft picks: No. 11 and No. 23, the latter of which they recently acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans.
Minnesota could package the two of those selections in a trade offer in order to move up in the draft to secure the quarterback it wants. Or perhaps the Vikings feel their guy will fall to No. 11.
Whatever the case may be, the clock on Jefferson is ticking, and Minnesota clearly understands this.
The fact that the Vikings have not made a more concerted effort to lock Jefferson up is puzzling, and now, with no real solution at quarterback at the current moment, you have to wonder just how much Justin Jefferson even wants to remain in Minnesota for the long haul.
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