Justin Jefferson of Minnesota Vikings looking on.Justin Jefferson (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
An NFC heavyweight reportedly contacted the Minnesota Vikings about a trade for superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson before he signed a record-setting deal on Monday.

All trade discussions surrounding Justin Jefferson ended once the Vikings extended him a $140 million deal over four years. The deal makes the LSU product the highest-paid non-quarterback player in NFL history.

On the latest edition of “The Adam Schefter Podcast”, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that several teams spoke to the Vikings about a potential trade for Jefferson. One of those clubs was the star-studded and reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers:

“Never, ever got close. There were teams that reached out…The New York Jets reached out about Justin Jefferson. The Indianapolis Colts reached out about Justin Jefferson, you know that? The 49ers reached out about Justin Jefferson, you know that?”

Schefter stated that the teams inquired about a Jefferson trade before the 2024 NFL Draft, but the NFC North told them they had no intentions of trading the 24-year-old. The NFL insider added that trade discussions “never went anywhere.”

The 49ers already have the best set of skill position players in football, with reigning rushing champion Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle.

 

So, adding Justin Jefferson to the roster would have made the 49ers overwhelming favorites to win the Super Bowl. Fortunately for most other teams, Minny told San Francisco no before the record-setting deal with JJ was signed.

Justin Jefferson Is Staying Where He Belongs

It’s too easy for sports fans and analysts to envision league-altering trade ideas with the game’s top players, but there was never a doubt that Justin Jefferson was going to stay in the Gopher State long-term.

Jefferson is the best wide receiver in football, and he’s only in the early stages of his prime as he enters his age-25 season. The Vikings used the No. 10 pick on Michigan QB JJ McCarthy, and it would have been foolish to trade a superstar weapon like Jefferson during the rookie’s development.

But by extending Jefferson, the Vikings have reminded their fans that they’re committed to building a long-term winner. A McCarthy-Jefferson duo should keep Vikings fans optimistic for years to come.

ESPN Computer Model Reveals Which NFL Team Will Have The Best Record In 2024

The NFL logo on the field.NFL logo on the field (Photo via Getty Images)
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) has projected all 32 clubs’ regular season records for the upcoming 2024 season, with the top NFL team having a 24 percent shot of making the Super Bowl.

The Worldwide Leader In Sports uses the FPI system “that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season”. They run 10,000 computer simulations with this system to project the record of each NFL team on any given date.

ESPN has shared the early results of the computer model projections for the upcoming 2024 season. Unsurprisingly, they project the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to lead the league with 11.1 wins, with a 24 percent chance of winning the AFC and an 11 percent chance of returning to the big dance.

The San Francisco 49ers are a close second with a projected 11.0 wins and 5.9 losses. No NFL team has better odds of reaching the Super Bowl than San Fran at 25 percent, as well as the best odds of winning it all at 15.8 percent.

 

ESPN’s FPI also projects double-digit wins for the Baltimore Ravens (10.6), Detroit Lions (10.6), Philadelphia Eagles (10.5), Cincinnati Bengals (10.3), Dallas Cowboys (10.3) and Buffalo Bills (10.0). They have the New England Patriots finishing as the worst NFL team of 2024 with 4.9 wins.

Kansas City Chiefs Are The NFL Team To Beat

The Chiefs didn’t even play their best a year ago, finishing with an 11-6 record that actually marked their worst finish in the Patrick Mahomes era. And yet, the Chiefs saved their best for last and secured the first NFL repeat in 19 years.

GM Brett Veach made two big splashes on offense by signing Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown before drafting Texas Longhorns speedster Xavier Worthy. With all that weaponry around him, Patrick Mahomes should return to his MVP-like form in the regular season.