Kevin SeifertESPN staff writer3 minutes to read
Pat McAfee wouldn’t be surprised if Kirk Cousins is traded
Pat McAfee and his staff are discussing the possibility of trading Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings.
EAGAN, Minn. – Bad news about The Minnesota Vikings’ season is clear: They are one of four winless teams in the NFL. The good news, receiver Justin Jefferson said Thursday, is that there are plenty of games left to begin drawing conclusions about the fate of their season.
Speaking to a group of reporters in the Vikings’ locker room, in fact, Jefferson said he was tired of hearing about how their 0-3 start could impact 2024 plans and whether certain players will or should be traded to stock up on draft picks.
“At the end of the day, it’s not going to be perfect every time,” said Jefferson, who has an NFL-high 458 receiving yards, a league record, through the first three weeks of the season. “There are things you have to go through throughout the season to know whether or not you’re going to be a great team. We’re dealing with adversity early in the season with turnovers and being 0-3, but there’s a whole lot more games to go.
“I’m tired of people saying we’re looking forward to next season or all the deals and things like that. We’re still focused on this season. We have a lot of games left and we have a lot of things going on.” “To get this season done. We’re still focused, we still have the same goal we had before the season. We just need to fix some things and I feel like we’ll get back on track.”
The Vikings committed an NFL-high nine turnovers while losing all three games by one score. Their overall point differential this season (minus 13) is better than 11 NFL teams, including two — the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders — who have 2-1 records.
But the case of “rebuilding their competitiveness” under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has sparked public debate about the future of several key players. The possibility of trading quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose contract will automatically be voided in March, has been a frequent topic of conversation on ESPN’s “Get Up,” among other shows. However, Cousins has a full no-trade clause.
Linebacker Danielle Hunter is also in the final year of his contract. On social media, some fans suggested trading Jefferson — who the Vikings have yet to sign to his rookie contract — to accumulate more draft picks.
Jefferson said he has seen trade conversations on the social media platform
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”