Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Shoots Down Justin Jefferson Trade Rumors
Josh Frey
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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has had to watch a lot of rumors get thrown around regarding his team over the past few weeks without much of an outlet to answer them.
On Tuesday, Adofo-Mensah finally got that outlet at the NFL Scouting Combine where he took the podium to answer questions regarding the Minnesota Vikings, free agency, and the upcoming draft. One such question was directly in regard to trading star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and this was Adofo-Mensah’s response:
“That is not something that’s once crossed my mind. You got a blue[-chip] player, a blue[-chip] person, you try to keep as many of those as you can.”
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Shoots Down Justin Jefferson Trade Rumors
Ever since the regular season came to an end, there has been growing steam from some media outlets that Jefferson could be traded from the Vikings. The theories behind such a trade have been two-fold:
- Jefferson’s next contract likely will be the highest for a non-QB in the history of the NFL, and the Vikings may not be willing to pay that much as they try to rebuild their roster.
- A trade could give the Vikings plenty of additional draft capital to help fill out their roster.
This reasoning feels very similar to the mystery box meme from Family Guy. Just like opening the mystery box rather than taking the boat could result in anything (even a boat!), a trade of Justin Jefferson could result in anything, even a player like Justin Jefferson. It’s far from guaranteed (and dare I say unlikely) that the Vikings would find the next historically great receiver by trading Jefferson, though.
Adofo-Mensah suggested during the presser that a lot of the rumors and outside noise surrounding Jefferson and a potential trade has been “false.”
Over his first four NFL seasons, Jefferson has re-written record books and been a major part of Minnesota’s success on the offensive side of the ball. Both Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have continuously suggested that they want Jefferson to be a key part of the Vikings offense for years to come.
Even if the Vikings were to go into a full-on rebuild this year (as some have suggested they do), it makes very little sense to trade away the best player on their roster. For the Vikings to completely rebuild, they likely will bring in a young QB through the draft to lead their offense.
Jefferson would make that quarterback’s transition to the NFL infinitely easier, especially considering the Vikings likely will be without T.J. Hockenson for at least the first few games of the 2024 season.
On the other hand, Jefferson would also be an integral part of Minnesota’s pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy if they opt to try and be as competitive as possible during the 2024 season.
The Vikings have been in a “competitive rebuild” for the past couple years under Adofo-Mensah, trying to toe the line between winning now and rebuilding. If Minnesota were to part ways with Jefferson, it would take away both the “competitive” and “rebuild” from the organization, offering very little path forward.
Because of this, Adofo-Mensah’s comments on Tuesday should not come as a surprise, and they simply reaffirm that the Vikings have no interest in moving on from their star wide receiver.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.