During the Minnesota Vikings‘ Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions, television cameras caught a visibly upset Justin Jefferson. The Vikings star had another subpar performance by his standards, despite recording five receptions on nine targets for 33 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Moreover, the entire situation isn’t his, given that over the past two seasons the Vikings have been hit with inconsistent play from the QB position. Nonetheless, with the quarterback position again being an issue, will Jefferson stop being a team player and express more frustration?
After the loss to Detroit, Jefferson didn’t talk to reporters afterward, which could be a glimpse that the situation might be becoming too much for Jefferson to hold in and say the right thing to the media.
Amid this situation with Jefferson, former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe stated that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings star wideout decided to demand out of this situation.
“You’re going to wake up one morning and hear a source say Justin Jefferson is asking for a trade,” Sharpe said on the Nov. 1 edition of “Nightcap.” “This would be the second year they’ve wasted this man. Think about what he could do.
“This man was on a historic pace, and it’s come to a screeching halt. Remember, a receiver getting 1,000 yards in 17 games isn’t anything special. That’s only about 58 yards per game. Nobody is paying a player real money for 58 yards a game. He’s doing all the right things. He’s a total team player, but he knows.”
Justin Jefferson Should Be Mad Over QB Decisions
Moreover, Sharpe hints that Jefferson could be ready to express his frustration with how the Vikings have handled their QB position over the last few years, beginning with the decision not to keep Kirk Cousins after his Achilles injury.
“[Jefferson should] not be taking a pay cut based on decisions [the Vikings] made,” Sharpe added. “Y’all let Sam Darnold go. Y’all didn’t believe Kirk Cousins could come back after he tore his Achilles.
“Those are decisions that y’all made that directly impacted [Jefferson], and now you want [Jefferson] to bail you out so you can make more bad decisions? Nah, [Jefferson should be] good. Do what y’all need to do.”
While Justin Jefferson did miss time due to injury, he’s only recorded 28 catches for 335 yards and has scored four touchdowns in six games this season for Minnesota, per StatMuse.
Vikings Get Kirk Cousins Message After First Loss of Season
Amid the Vikings suffering their first loss of the season and the offense unable to start trending upward, former NFL QB Chase Daniel believes Minnesota needs to be calling the Las Vegas Raiders for Kirk Cousins.
“The talk about a trade for Kirk Cousins is going to continue,” Daniel said in a Nov. 1 video from “Bussin’ With The Boys.” “If you’re the Vikings, you need to get back in the race and seriously consider looking into Kirk Cousins.
“Why wouldn’t you be checking into the Raiders and Kirk Cousins? Kirk is absolutely balling and had an amazing game against the Jets. Your defense cannot carry you the entire year. Yes, I agree that Kyler played well in the second half.”
Vikings Issued Concerning Justin Jefferson Take After Loss to Lions