Blockbuster Trade Pitch Brings Broncos $140 Million NFL All-Pro
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.”
Joe Burrow Made Big Decision in First Media Session After Returning to Bengals Practice
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow could've thrown his teammates under the bus on Monday. He could've blamed the defense for struggling over the past five games and quickly becoming the worse defensive unit in the NFL. He could've called out the front office, teammates, coaches or all of the above.
Instead, he took the high road with hopes that they can make a run in the final two months of the season.
"I think there's a lot of football left to be played, so there's a lot of blame to go around here, but there's ample opportunity to turn that around," Burrow said. "For half of this season, I thought the defense was playing pretty good, and then, the last couple weeks we've struggled, but there's good stuff on tape still, and they put that on tape, you saw it early in the year, so you've just got to get back to playing complimentary defense and getting pressure and covering and putting guys in good spots. I think there's plenty of opportunity, and we have all the talent in our locker room to make those changes."
The Bengals are giving up 426.6 yards-per-game, which is the most in the NFL. They're giving up 166.6 rushing yards-per-game, which is also the most allowed in the league. They're the only team that has given up 300 points so far this season, allowing 33.3 points-per-game, which is the most in the NFL.
Despite the struggles, Burrow says he's seen some good things from Al Golden's defense.
"Early in the year the offense wasn't rolling and I thought the defense was playing pretty well. And then lately, it seems like that's flip-flopped," Burrow said. "But there's still guys doing good things, putting good stuff on tape. It just feels like we haven't really put it all together. When you struggle that way, there's always guys doing good things, but the good things don't coincide with other people doing good things. So on offense, maybe you're receivers are winning but your o-line didn't hold up. Maybe your o-line held up this time and your receivers didn't win. On defense, guys covered well but you didn't get any pressure or you got pressure but guys got open quickly. So when you're struggling on offense or defense, the NFL has a lot of good players, guys putting good stuff on tape. It just feels like we haven't really put it all together."
There isn't much room for error for the Bengals moving forward. They're 3-6 on the season. A win over Pittsburgh on Sunday would get them to 3-0 in the division and keep their slim chances of winning the AFC North alive.
