Although Justin Jefferson is the kind of talent that teams don’t just give up, the NFL world wondered if that’s exactly what could happen to the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason.

Jefferson was coming off an injury-filled season, facing a new, market-defining contract, and the team lost quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​to free agency. Of course, none of that changed anything, and Minnesota happily offered the superstar receiver a new four-year, $140 million deal with $110 million guaranteed.

However, it turns out the lack of movement on the Jefferson transfer front wasn’t due to a lack of outside interest. On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that three teams had inquired about his availability to sign the All-Pro wideout: the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. All attempts to start trade talks were “immediately rebuffed,” according to Schefter.

Of these teams, the 49ers are obviously the most interesting. They narrowly lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs and already have the best roster of specialty position players in the NFL. Signing Jefferson, presumably by trading for Brandon Aiyuk after his contract issues in the offseason, would have made them even more dangerous.

The inclusion of the Jets is also interesting because it shows how committed the front office is this year and how much depends on whether Aaron Rodgers can recover from his torn Achilles last season. The Colts aren’t expected to be as strong as the other two teams mentioned, but they clearly want to find a top-notch pass catcher for young quarterback Anthony Richardson.

A funny “what if” situation to kick off the 2024 season.