Report: 49ers inquired about Jefferson trade to Vikings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers were reportedly thinking of making another splash by making an acquisition another superstar player this offseason.
The rich would only have gotten richer.
Months before superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson agreed to a historic four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, San Francisco was one of a handful of teams to make inquiries at Minnesota about trading for the star receiver, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on the latest episode of “The Adam Schefter Podcast.”
“It’s never been close,” Schefter told co-host Daniel Dopp when asked if the Vikings had actually visited Jefferson. “Some teams have reached out. The New York Jets have contacted Justin Jefferson. The Indianapolis Colts have contacted Justin Jefferson, did you know? The 49ers have reached out to Justin Jefferson, you know?”
“This was all before the draft, and every team that called the Vikings before the draft was told, ‘We’re not trading him.’ The talks didn’t lead to any results with anyone, so it was a moot point. And besides, there should have been 31 teams calling the Vikings to see if there was a way to trade the wide receiver who wanted a new deal they were struggling to make a new deal. Everyone should have called.”
While talk of a potential trade for Jefferson was dead on arrival, the 49ers’ reported interest in making such a big move should certainly raise some eyebrows.
San Francisco continues to negotiate a lucrative contract extension for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, whose market has been swayed in his favor this season by deals like those of Jefferson and other top receivers.
As talks with the Vikings progressed, what would the 49ers have had to give up to land Jefferson? Would Aiyuk or fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel be included in a potential trade package? What would the 49ers offense have looked like with Jefferson?
The possibility of landing the All-Pro never materialized, but it’s certainly fun for 49ers fans to think about.
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