The Vikings Can’t Make Another Randy Moss Mistake
Syndication: Detroit Free Press
Rumors have been swirling about what the Minnesota Vikings are going to do with Justin Jefferson, but they don’t need to look back too far in their own history to make the right decision; they can’t make another Randy Moss mistake.
According to Charlie Walters of the Pioneer Press, the Vikings were trying to trade up to take wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was later selected with the sixth pick by the New York Giants.
“Pssst: There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move from No. 11 to No. 5, not to pick a quarterback but to get LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was picked No. 6 by the Giants. Had that trade occurred, Jefferson would have been traded and Nabers would have been the No. 1 receiver.”
The Vikings haven’t been able to agree to a long-term extension with Jefferson yet, but it would be one of the biggest mistakes in team history if they were able to ship him off, no matter what the return is.
Randy Moss was on top of his game when the Vikings decided a change of scenery was best for the future Hall of Fame. Moss was sent off to the Oakland Raiders, and the Vikings received the 7th overall pick in the 2005 draft, a seventh-round pick, and Napoleon Harris. Harris wasn’t awful during his tenure in Minnesota, but he also wasn’t all that good. The 7th overall pick pick was used on Troy Williamson, who the Vikings thought could fill the shoes of Moss. He didn’t even get close to the level of Moss, and the only thing he was good for was dropping passes.
If the Vikings were to trade away Jefferson now, they would get at least one first-round pick, but there is no guarantee that even a guy like Nabers is going to turn into a star, and even if he is a star, getting to the level of Jefferson is going to be tough. 2023 was a down year for Jefferson, but a down year still equates to 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. It’s hard to imagine that there is a trade another team is willing to do that would end up being a win for the Vikings.
Jefferson was willing to sign an extension before the 2023 season, but the two sides couldn’t agree on a price. That has already turned out to be a costly mistake, as Jefferson’s price is only going up every day.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell and G.M G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have both made it very clear that they want to get an extension done. Back at the scouting combine, Adofo-Menesah talked about how much he believes it will take to get a deal done.
“We’ve said it and we’ll continue to say it, we think he’s the best wide receiver in the league and should be compensated as such. We think he’s one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league, think he should be compensated as such.”
Nick Bosa is currently the highest-paid non-quarterback at $34 million, and it’s hard to imagine that Jefferson is going to agree to a payday less than that. The Vikings have their quarterback, JJ McCarthy on a rookie deal, and he needs weapons. The good news about not having to pay Kirk Cousins is that more money can be put toward Jefferson.
Every day that passes that an extension doesn’t get down should worry Vikings fans more, and if training camp starts and no extension is done, it’s probably time for a full-blown panic. There might not be a whole lot to the rumors about the draft day trade for Nabers, but it does give some idea that the Vikings were at least considering it. It still feels like a long shot that an extension doesn’t get done, but if the Vikings decide to trade him, it would be one of the biggest mistakes in franchise history, which says a lot because the Vikings have had plenty of them. When the Vikings traded away Randy Moss, the franchise changed forever, but not in a good way. If the Vikings ship off Jefferson, it would be the same. The Vikings could put all these thoughts to bay if they just locked up Jefferson long-term.
Up Next