Could the Kansas City Chiefs trade for Justin Jefferson? It’s unlikely, but here is what it would cost.

The Minnesota Vikings parted with Kirk Cousins because there’s only so much money to go around. While the Vikings coaching staff hopes Sam Darnold or a rookie quarterback can eventually replicate Cousins production, the most impactful member of their offense is Justin Jefferson, hands down.

Jefferson wants a new contract. That is no secret, as he skipped the first day of voluntary workouts at the Vikings team facility. Again: Jefferson was not required to attend Vikings mini camp.

He is not violating his contract by staying home. However, what JJ is doing is sending a subliminal message to the Minnesota front office.

Jefferson will want to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. When he is healthy, which was a problem this past year, he is the best player at his position in the league. In all likelihood, the Vikings will pay him as such. Yet, what if Minnesota were open to trading Jefferson?

In this hypothetical, the Kansas City Chiefs would be among the teams calling Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

The Chiefs need wide receiver help, and Justin Jefferson would provide that
If the Vikings were to trade Justin Jefferson, Minnesota would take on a full rebuild. Letting Cousins walk to Atlanta — albeit with a formidable counter offer — was understandable given the quarterback market. Losing Jefferson would disrupt their entire gameplan on offense.

Any trade for Jefferson would be costly — we’re talking multiple first-round picks or proven young talent. In an article just a few months back, FanSided’s Terrence Jordan predicted that Jefferson would go for two first-round selections, Justin Reid and Skyy Moore if dealt to the Chiefs. Given what we know now in the Rashee Rice case, the Chiefs are more desperate than ever to land real talent on the outside. Here’s what my trade would look like:

Yes, that is four NFL Draft picks heading from the Chiefs to the Vikings. In exchange, they get to keep the likes of Reid and Moore for depth reasons, which should eliminate the need for future Day 1 and Day 2 picks for now. It’s not a perfect trade from Kansas City’s perspective, but creating an All-Star team around Patrick Mahomes provides them reason enough to consider such a move.

I will readily admit that such a deal has many flaws for both teams, but it also highlights why a trade between these two teams is unrealistic.