After a turnover-filled start to their season, resulting in an 0-3 record, the Minnesota Vikings face a tough road ahead. While Justin Jefferson and Co. have 14 more games left to play, some are already declaring the Vikings’ season is over.
From media reports trying to suggest the Vikings should already consider trading Kirk Cousins, which include former members of the Vikings, to the typical fan response calling for a complete tanking effort to improve chances at landing a top quarterback via the 2024 NFL Draft, some might have you believe the Vikings’ season is already over.
It’s worth noting that there has been just one team to ever begin their season 0-3 and reach the postseason, and it hasn’t been done since the 2018 Houston Texans, but the best team on the Vikings hasn’t lost any hope.
In fact, Jefferson is sick of hearing about Vikings fans trying to suggest the team should forget about competing this season, and just focus on bouncing back in 2024.
“I’m tired of people saying that we’re looking into next season or all of the trades and stuff like that. 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.”
Justin Jefferson responding to people saying the Vikings should tank
Jefferson’s response shouldn’t come as a surprise. Good luck finding a player who will ever embrace the idea of throwing in the towel, especially when they’ve played just 17 percent of their season.
Yet, any time there is a superstar like Jefferson on a losing team as the Vikings currently are, there will always be media reports trying to stir up drama. Despite not being able to reach common ground on contract negotiations before the start of the season, Jefferson sounds like a player who is 100 percent committed to turning the season around. But again, that should come as no surprise for a high-level athlete like No. 18.
Cousins has a full no-trade clause, but his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. However, the Vikings know that allowing him to leave as a free agent would also impact the compensatory draft pick formula, which would likely equate to a third-round pick in 2025. This means any trade offer before the trade deadline would have to start with a third-round pick.
As for Jefferson, he’s still on his rookie contract, which keeps him in Minnesota through the 2024 season, but all indications point to the Vikings signing him to a record-breaking extension during the upcoming offseason. Yet, he doesn’t want to think that far ahead with 14 more games left to play this season first.
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