From the outside looking in, it seems like the Minnesota Vikings looked at the 3 quarterbacks they had on their roster last year — Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and J.J. McCarthy — and picked the worst one to move forward with.
Darnold is now with the Seattle Seahawks and looks like an NFL MVP candidate.
Jones is now with the Indianapolis Colts and looks like an NFL MVP candidate.
McCarthy, who missed 5 games with a high ankle sprain and is 2-2 in 4 starts this season, just looks lost. The result? The Vikings are 4-5 and in last place in the NFC North Division one year after going 14-3 in the regular season.
If we’re going to crown a King of Suffering in Minnesota right now, that can only be 26-year-old superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, a 4-time NFL All-Pro with a 4-year, $140 million contract who has had to endure the ignominy of catching passes from McCarthy and Carson Wentz this season.
It’s not an exaggeration to say the Vikings are wasting the prime years of the career of one of the NFL’s greatest wide receivers of all time, which we can rightly say Jefferson is halfway through his sixth season.
If he decides he’s not willing to put up with that much longer, it could open up some interesting possibilities for his future.
What Trade for Jefferson Might Look Like
If you think the Denver Broncos are hot right now as winners of 7 consecutive games, wait until you see what happens this offseason. That’s when the franchise will finally unburdened of $85 million in dead cap money they’ve had to swallow the last 2 seasons because of the disastrous Russell Wilson contract.
Armed with owners who have deep pockets unlike any other franchise in professional sports, the 2026 offseason could see the Broncos become headline makers in terms of personnel moves.
If Jefferson can just bring himself to say he wants out of Minnesota, then there are several teams who could make a deal like that work.
The Broncos could be one of them. Here’s how they could do it.
The price for Jefferson, in terms of draft picks, is 2 first rounders without batting an eye. The Broncos would probably have to give up a wide receiver as well, and in this case you might be able to give up Courtland Sutton and cut out 1 of the first rounders. They could also be forced to give up a talented young wide receiver like Pat Bryant or Troy Franklin.
The Broncos would get a steal on Jefferson in 2026 and 2027, when he’s due $25.5 million and $30 million, then give him a new contract extension before the 2028 season.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski called Jefferson one of the NFL’s “Biggest Losers” after he had 4 receptions for 37 yards in a 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10.
“Given McCarthy attempted 42 passes (against the Ravens), one would think his superstar wideout had himself a day,” Sobleski wrote. “One would be wrong, though. Jefferson did lead the Vikings with 12 targets in the loss, but while Jalen Nailor caught five passes for 124 yards and a score, the four-time Pro Bowler was held to just four receptions for 37 yards.”
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