Trade News: Kirk Cousins Signed A New, Long Term Contract With The Vikings.

ong before the Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with Sam Darnold as their potential bridge replacement for Kirk Cousins, star receiver Justin Jefferson gave his endorsement of NFC North rival quarterback Justin Fields.

During a 2021 appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd, Jefferson called Fields “dominant,” saying he would bring pressure to opposing teams if he joined the Vikings. The clip has resurfaced in the wake of Cousins’ departure and Fields’ future in Chicago in jeopardy.

“We have to build on for after Kirk. Having Justin Fields brings a little more pressure to other teams by having a dominant quarterback — like he is,” Jefferson back in 2021.

Fields, entering the final year of his four-year, $18 million rookie contract, figures to be phased out of the Chicago Bears‘ future with Chicago expected to take a quarterback No. 1 overall in this year’s draft.

The trade rumors surrounding Jefferson reignited when Cousins’ departure to Atlanta was confirmed this week, and although there isn’t an answer in Minnesota yet, the Vikings’ prospects of securing Jefferson long-term remain strong.

“The Vikings came close to extending WR Justin Jefferson last offseason,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on X (formerly Twitter) on March 12. “In Indy, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah aggressively rejected the idea of trading the star. Kirk Cousins’ departure hasn’t changed things. The Vikings have no plans to trade Jefferson, sources tell me and @alec_lewis.”

As the NFL grows impatient with the ongoing contract talks involving the league’s top wide receiver, the Vikings typically have awarded extensions in June and could likely drag out negotiations until then.

That leaves Jefferson’s future in the air for at least several more months of speculation during the NFL offseason.

Justin Jefferson Turned Down $30 Million a Year Contract: Report

The Vikings have worked to extend Jefferson since last offseason and came close ahead of the start of the 2023 season.

Adofo-Mensah said at this year’s combine that the Vikings came “unbelievably close” to reaching a deal with Jefferson but also noted that it’s rare for a non-quarterback to sign an extension before their fourth season.

“They have their reasons for waiting; we have our reasons for wanting to do it sooner. Ultimately, we got to come together and meet in the middle and figure out a way to best serve our purposes,” Adofo-Mensah said in a February 27 news conference.

On March 12, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that the deal Jefferson declined was worth more than $30 million a year — the expected going rate for the league’s top wide receiver after Tyreek Hill broke the barrier with his deal in 2021.

Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the Minnesota Vikings and Milwaukee Bucks for Heavy.com. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at trevor.squire@heavy.com and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire

There’s no denying that the Minnesota Vikings are now hyper-focused on identifying the next franchise quarterback. That process will only amplify after adding another first-round pick. Yet, the Vikings are far from the only team eyeing one of the four quarterbacks projected to become first-round picks on April 25.

Still, neither of Minnesota’s two 1st-round picks (11, 23) is expected to be high enough to land the QB prospect Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell covet most. That means the Vikings will likely have to complete another blockbuster trade up the draft board to land someone like Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or J.J. McCarthy.