49ers were eyeing blockbuster trade for Justin Jefferson: Three teams called Vikings to make deal, per report

The San Francisco 49ers already have room at wide receiver, but that didn’t stop them from trying to make what would have been the biggest trade of the year. NFL out of season.

According to ESPN, the 49ers were one of at least three teams that called the Minnesota Vikings about the possibility of making a trade for Justin Jefferson.

So who tried to make a deal for the Vikings star? Adam Schefter named all three teams during the most recent episode of your podcast.

“There were teams that reached out,” Schefter said. “The New York Jets have reached out to Justin Jefferson. The Indianapolis Colts have reached out to Justin Jefferson. The San Francisco 49ers have reached out to Justin Jefferson.”

Of the teams on this list, the 49ers are undoubtedly the most interesting. They have been dealing with drama all offseason at the receiver position with Brandon Aiyuk, who is looking for a new contract. This drama escalated during the draft when speculation was rampant that the 49ers could try to trade Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel.

In the six weeks since the draft, things haven’t improved much between Aiyuk and the 49ers. The recipient is expected to be hit with over $100,000 in fines after skipping mandatory minicamp this week.

It’s unclear what Aiyuk’s asking price is, but if he’s looking to make more than $30 million a year, it’s possible the 49ers were thinking it would make more sense to go after Jefferson and give him that money instead of handing it over. it to Aiyuk. .

If the 49ers had made a trade for Jefferson, they could have included Aiyuk or Samuel in the deal or they could have kept all three, letting Aiyuk play out the final year of his rookie contract, which is expected to pay him $14.12 million.

As for the timing of the 49ers’ interest, Schefter said all three teams called Minnesota BEFORE the draft. If you’re wondering why we haven’t seen a trade happen, it’s because the Vikings never had any intention of trading their star receiver.

“Every team that called the Vikings before the draft was told ‘we’re not trading him,’” Schefter said. “The conversations didn’t go anywhere with anyone, so it was a moot point.”

In the end, the Vikings decided to make Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, giving him a four-year contract worth $140 million.

After the deal was signed, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell made it clear that his team never considered the idea of ​​trading Jefferson.

“When you hear certain things — a lot of things come and go — and you attribute it to what they are,” O’Connell said Tuesday, via ESPN.com. “But when there are things that are so far outside of what is actually going on and happening, you feel like coming out and saying, which I will do unequivocally: We have never, ever, once discussed this internally among leadership. “

The three teams that were rejected in Jefferson negotiations ended up signing a receiver this year. The 49ers picked Ricky Pearsall in the first round, the Colts took Adonai Mitchell in the second round and the Jets took Malachi Corley in the third round.

If the Jets had somehow gotten Jefferson, they probably wouldn’t have drafted Corley, but Aaron Rodgers would have ended up with a receiving room that included Jefferson, Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams.

It would have been interesting to see Jefferson with the Jets, 49ers or Colts, but that’s not going to happen. At least not anytime soon.