Before this year’s NFL draft, the 49ers inquired about Justin Jefferson’s availability with the uncertainty surrounding Brandon Aiyuk over the offseason. However, league sources told ESPN that the Vikings showed no interest in selling their star wide receiver and promptly turned down San Francisco’s requests.
Not just the 49ers but other teams also inquired about Jefferson. According to sources, the Vikings never thought about transferring the three-time Pro Bowler, and conversations never progressed. The Jets and Colts also showed some interest.
These questions were asked before to Jefferson signing a record-breaking contract with the Vikings in June, which made him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. The Vikings were only interested in re-signing one of the best players in the league, despite the fact that interested teams believed they could lure Minnesota into appealing trade packages.
On Sunday, San Francisco takes on Jefferson and the Vikings, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is aware of the receivers his defense will face.
Shanahan told reporters, “There’s not an angle he can’t really run at — at full speed and drop his weight.” “He plays with fearlessness as well. He has the best hands of anyone. Those who have accompanied him tell me he’s one of the most intelligent players they’ve ever encountered. He is the whole deal.
According to sources who spoke with ESPN, Jefferson inked a four-year, $140 million contract with the Vikings in June, with $110 million guaranteed. Aiyuk’s contract standoff with the Niners was resolved less than three months later when the player inked a four-year, $120 million agreement with a $76 million guarantee.
Even though trading for Jefferson would have allowed the Vikings to move up in the draft to select a quarterback, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stated during the NFL scouting combine in February that he had never considered doing so.
Entering this season, Jefferson, the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year, averaged 98.3 receiving yards per game, which was the highest for any career duration in NFL history.
Despite missing seven games and parts of two more due to injuries, 25-year-old Jefferson set an NFL record for most receiving yards in his first three seasons of play (4,825) and went on to surpass 1,000 yards in the previous campaign. He set a record in 2023 with 1,074 yards, the most ever for an NFL player with 10 or fewer games played in a season.
