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Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer
Trading star receiver Justin Jefferson “is not something that’s once crossed my mind,” Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine.
Adofo-Mensah’s comment came as the Vikings enter their second year of attempting to sign Jefferson to a long-term contract extension. The sides broke off talks before the start of the 2023 season but have since reengaged. There has been some media speculation suggesting the Vikings trade Jefferson to accumulate enough draft picks to find a long-term replacement for quarterback Kirk Cousins, but Adofo-Mensah seemed to discredit that suggestion Tuesday.
“You got a blue[-chip] player, a blue[-chip] person, you try to keep as many of those as you can,” he said.
In his most expansive explanation yet of the team’s approach to retaining Jefferson, Adofo-Mensah said the sides were “unbelievably close” to a deal last summer before suspending talks. He said he promised Jefferson and his representatives that he would not speak publicly about the negotiations, despite the frustration of what he considers false rumors, but he made clear he does not anticipate a future without Jefferson in Minnesota.
“We had a lot of great dialogue last offseason,” Adofo-Mensah said. “I think people forget: Deals rarely happen after three years. And there’s a reason. With two years left [on his rookie contract], there’s uncertainty that somebody has got to hold. Either the club has got to hold it, or the player has got to hold it. There’s new money, old money. How do you look at contracts? Those are very hard conversations to have. So a lot of them don’t get done. …
“We’ve said it and we’ll continue to say it: We think he’s the best wide receiver in the league and should be compensated as such. We think he’s the one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league, and think he should be compensated as such. We’ll continue to have those dialogues and conversations.
“I promised [Jefferson’s representatives] and will continue to promise them, I will not talk about our negotiations. I think this job should be done with integrity. So a lot of this stuff I hear is completely false. But I can’t get up here and tell you what’s not true or not false because that’s not how I promised to do this job. But I will tell you … he’s somebody we want around for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Adofo-Mensah said the Vikings are in a “great place” with Cousins, whose contract will void March 13 and accelerate $28 million in in dead money onto the 2024 salary cap if there is not an agreement to extend the deal before then. The two had a “great conversation” recently, Adofo-Mensah said, reiterating that he hopes to find common ground and bring Cousins back for the 2024 season.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “we have our interests. He has his. We’ll get to the table and see if we can figure out a creative solution and meet in in the middle. That’s what every contract negotiation is, and that’s what it will be with him. What we do know is we have a really great quarterback, a great leader, and somebody we think we can win the ultimate prize with. That’s ultimately what I focus on and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Cousins and coach Kevin O’Connell have been having weekly conversations, O’Connell said Tuesday, much of them focused on what a potential return would look like on the field.
“Kirk Cousins knows how I feel about him,” O’Connell said. “I’ve held no secrets there. He knows how the Minnesota Vikings feel about him. I believe Kirk wants to be a Viking. And we’re going to work to try to make that the outcome.”