Should The Vikings Worry About Losing Justin Jefferson?
Justin Jefferson broke Odell Beckham’s record for the most receiving yards in the first two years of any player’s career. The former LSU product is an established star at this point notching 2,851 yards in 31 career games. While the Vikings still have certainty in terms of years of control, it’s time to start talking about the elephant in the room. Should the Vikings actually start to worry about losing Justin Jefferson? Probably…
Jefferson, 22, has been a really good soldier thus far. We all know wide receivers, however. It’s only a matter of time before the frustration kicks in. At the end of the day, Stefon Diggs got sick of Kirk Cousins and the rest of the organization. The Vikings aren’t a dumpster fire franchise, but they’re no better than the Marvin Lewis Bengals at this point. Stuck in mediocrity with a quarterback that I’m way cooler than.
Diggs isn’t the only star receiver that wanted out of Minnesota. Remember, Percy Harvin was really good at one point. He wanted out and got his wish. So did some guy named Randy Moss. At the end of the day, odds are that Jefferson is going to get sick of Cousins too. Because… how the hell could you not? Adam Thielen hates Cousins too. He’s just from Minnesota so he doesn’t really want to leave.
The fact of the matter is, the Vikings got really lucky to land Jefferson in the first place. Jefferson was acquired in the Diggs trade which has sort of turned into a win-win for both sides. However, Minnesota needed Philadelphia to take Jalen Reagor and Vegas to reach on Henry Ruggs in order for it to happen. Jefferson probably should have been the third receiver to come off the board. Instead, he was the 5th one to be taken. Guys like Jefferson don’t just automatically grow on trees.
In College Football, you now have to recruit the guys on your own team because of the transfer portal. It’s easier than ever for guys to change teams in college and the pros. The days of being the boring Vikings who teeter on the 7 seed playoff bubble every year needs to stop… OR it’s going to end up costing them Jefferson at some point.
The bottom line is, I don’t care how much salary cap hell it is to move off of Cousins. It needs to happen as a sign of good faith to Jefferson. That the Vikings are a place he can contend for championships with. Go draft the next guy. Go reel in a veteran like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. Minnesota can’t run this shit back with Cousins over and over.
Jefferson is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. If they want Jefferson to go into the Hall as a Viking, they have to shake things up. Find the next hot young offensive minded coach. Just because the danger of losing Jefferson isn’t here quite yet, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be preparing for the possibility and doing the necessary groundwork to avoid a tragedy. Figure it out.
