What to make of the Justin Jefferson 'steam' he could be traded report

Steam that Jefferson could be traded? Who can fans trust?

Author:
Joe Nelson
Publish date:
Feb 25, 2024 6:15 PM EST

The next wave of football rumors, reports and speculation is going to come over the next week as the NFL Scouting Combine is held in Indianapolis, Ind. Feb. 26 through Feb. 4 – and you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be much to say about Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Ahead of the combine opening on Monday there was a Saturday nugget from longtime Twin Cities sports columnist Charley Walters, who wrote that "steam continues that the Vikings could make Justin Jefferson available for trade."

What that steam is we don't know because there haven't been any verified reports saying Minnesota has any interest in trading the 24-year-old megastar. Sure, Colin Cowherd proposed the idea but other than that it's been nothing more than an idea floated by talk show hosts.

What we can trust are the words directly from Jefferson.

"I want to break the bank and I want to be a part of an organization that wants me and to really give me what I deserve. I feel like eventually the Vikings will do what they need to do to have me in the building, but I don't really know at this very moment. Only time will tell," Jefferson said during Super Bowl week.

Jefferson thinks the Vikings "will do what they need to do" to sign him. Everything else is just smoke until proven otherwise.

Does Walters know something that others don't? It's entirely possible, but who really knows for sure? Only Jefferson and the Vikings.

We can go one step further and note that Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes the structure of a deal might be what's holding up an agreement between Jefferson and the Vikings being announced. Does Jefferson want multiple years of fully guaranteed money?

Tight end T.J. Hockenson's money was guaranteed in 2024 and will be again in 2025, according to reports. If Hockenson was able to get guarantees beyond the first year then Jefferson would certainly get the same or better, right? It's easy to speculation but one can never know for sure.

Keep in mind that Florio also cited an "internal rule" with in the Vikings' organization about not fully guaranteeing contracts beyond the first year for anyone other than Kirk Cousins, but that obviously wasn't the case with Hockenson so it's hard to be convinced that his report is accurate.