The Minnesota Vikings hoped to be the talk of the NFL in 2023 by looking like a Super Bowl contender.
Well, they are the talk of the NFL, but that's because they made it through three weeks of play they're without a victory and now look like a team with plenty of reason to blow it up.
Justin Jefferson hates that idea.
Justin Jefferson scofffs at idea of Vikings trading Kirk Cousins or anyone else
"I'm tired of people saying that we're looking into next season or all of the trades and stuff like that," Jefferson said, per ESPN. "We're focused still on this season. We have a lot more games to go and we have a lot more things to accomplish this season. We're still focused in, and we still have the same goal as we had before the season. We just need to fix a few things and I feel like we'll be back on track."
Look, Jefferson has the right mentality for a player. He wants to win football games and trading away players with any sort of value is counterproductive towards that goal.
Having said that, the Vikings are 0-3 and the front office has to consider their options. Trading Cousins before he hits free agency in 2024 isn't the worst idea in the world from a team perspective.
The issue is that Jefferson becomes a free agent in 2025 and Minnesota will surely want to keep him around. Blowing up the team now against his wishes could break the relationship between team and player. Wide receivers don't usually have a ton of power over personnel decisions but Jefferson is a special case.
All that is to say general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in a tough spot. How he navigates it is sure to define his tenure in charge of the Vikings.
