Bill Belichick has never been the type of general manager to push all of the chips on the table for a wide receiver. But then again, the New England Patriots are 0-2 to start the 2023 season, the offense is in desperate need of a playmaker and the championship-caliber defense remains intact.
Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson would make every team in the league significantly better, but for a team like the Patriots, he could take them from pretenders to contenders at the snap of a finger.
Buy Patriots TicketsThere was a recent hypothetical trade proposal that had the Patriots sending a 2024 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick to the Vikings in exchange for Jefferson.
The Vikings are 0-2 and might need to hit the reset button 😬
But would they actually consider trading Justin Jefferson to the Patriots? 🤔#SKOL #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/QZNHTTuSSV
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) September 18, 2023
I’m sure every Vikings fan reading this is rolling their eyes right about now. Relax. The odds are in your favor that Jefferson resets the market with a blockbuster deal to stay in Minnesota.
With that said, there’s a right offer to be made for any player, regardless of talent. Whether this is the right offer or not is another discussion entirely.
From the Patriots’ perspective, however, they should absolutely do this deal if it was possible to pull off a trade. Jefferson being on the roster would give quarterback Mac Jones a young No. 1 receiver to grow with on the team. It doesn’t get any better than Jefferson, who is currently the best receiver in all of football.
He still has another full year left on his contract with the Vikings, and the two sides remain hopeful to get a deal done at some point.
The Patriots had an opportunity to get DeAndre Hopkins ahead of the season, but they allowed themselves to be outbid by the Tennessee Titans. The old ways of consistently prioritizing defense over offense isn’t working for the Patriots.
There’s nothing wrong with loading up on defensive personnel, but a team can only get so far cutting corners at the offensive skilled positions. The Patriots already have a future cornerstone at every level of the defense with standout rookies Keion White, Marte Mapu and Christian Gonzalez.
Why not go all in on a Hall of Famer in the making?
The Patriots defense is ready to contend for a Super Bowl. They just need the offense to match. Jefferson is a once-in-a-lifetime talent that could make a real difference on the field.
Of course, the Vikings know this as well, which is why it would be crazy for them to trade him to another team, even with Jordan Addison on their roster. But if they want to talk crazy, the Patriots and a more open-minded Belichick should be right there talking crazy with them.
