The wildest 2024 NFL offseason rumor yet for the Pittsburgh Steelers sees the team being linked to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The Steelers already made one of the offseason’s most notable trades on March 12 when they sent Diontae Johnson to the Panthers.
That led to a couple of names being brought up as potential trade candidates to replace him.
One was Keenan Allen, a potential big-name who could be dealt to aid the Chargers’ bloated cap situation. The other is Courtland Sutton, a regularly talked about trade candidate as the Broncos rebuild under Sean Payton.
Now on Thursday, March 14, the Steelers are being linked to arguably the best receiver in football.
According to Antonio Brown’s CTESPN Network, which has over 35,000 followers on X, the Steelers and Minnesota Vikings “have talked on a potential trade” for Jefferson after trade talks hit a “stand still” with the Cincinnati Bengals, who are also being connected to a Jefferson-Tee Higgins swap.
While the source of this rumor is dubious and should be treated with extreme caution, CTESPN correctly posted on March 8 about Russell Wilson signing a one-year deal with the Steelers. That came more than two days before Wilson broke the news on his X account on March 10 at 11:36 p.m. Eastern time.
Back on February 24, Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters (subscription) wrote that “steam continues that that the Vikings could make Justin Jefferson available for trade.”
However, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis reported on March 13 that there are “no plans” to trade Jefferson.
The Vikings came close to extending WR Justin Jefferson last offseason. In Indy, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah aggressively rejected the idea of trading the star. Kirk Cousins’ departure hasn’t changed things. The Vikings have no plans to trade Jefferson, sources tell me and @alec_lewis.
Justin Jefferson a Dominant Force for the Vikings
Jefferson has been one of football’s best receivers since the second he set foot on an NFL field. His 1,400 receiving yards in 2020 broke the NFL’s record for receiving yards in a rookie season.
Since then, he has been on the hunt for the league’s single-season receiving record.
In 2021, he made 108 catches for 1,616 yards.
Then he made a case for being the NFL’s best receiver during his third year in the league. In 2022, Jefferson led the league in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809).
In 2023, he was limited to just 10 games because of an injury, but still finished with 68 catches for 1,074 yards and set an NFL record for the most receiving yards through his first four years in the league.
Now he’s back to 100%, but Minnesota’s ability to compete in 2024 is now uncertain.
The team’s current QB1 is Sam Darnold after Kirk Cousins left for a $180 million deal with Atlanta. The Vikings, who hold the No. 11 overall pick, also face stiff competition to select a franchise QB in April’s 2024 NFL draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on March 12 that Jefferson had turned down a contract extension that would have paid him more than $30 million per year, which would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.
His contract will expire at the end of the 2024 season if he doesn’t reach an agreement on a new deal.
If his time in Minnesota is really approaching its end, he would be a franchise-changing acquisition for whatever team is lucky enough to land him.
Steelers Probably Not the Best Fit for Justin Jefferson
Jefferson is the kind of player who can change the fortunes of any offense in the NFL, but with that, there will be expectations for any team he plays for.
Jefferson has said that he wants to be the NFL’s first receiver to hit 2,000 yards in a season.
To do that, he’s going to need to get the ball a lot.
In his 1,800-yard season in 2022, he received 184 targets. That could mean it will take somewhere in the range of 200 targets for him to surpass the 2,000-yard mark.
The Steelers’ offense probably wouldn’t afford him that opportunity.
They now have a QB that could make it happen in Wilson, but not an offensive coordinator.
Arthur Smith offenses haven’t exactly been great for wide receivers. Even star WR A.J. Brown topped out at 1,075 yards in Smith’s offense in 2020, and he didn’t have to compete with a receiver of George Pickens’ caliber while playing in Tennessee.
The Steelers are going to run the ball frequently with Smith as their OC. Even adding Jefferson isn’t going to change that enough for him to get the kind of usage he expects.
Adding Jefferson would be a huge win for any team in the league, but there are much better fits for him than the Steelers around the NFL.
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Wild Rumor Connects Steelers to Blockbuster Trade for Potential Highest-Paid WR