As wide receiver Chris Godwin‘s future remains uncertain, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could go the trade route instead and land superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Andrew Harbaugh of USA Today’s Vikings Wire proposed the trade package between the Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings, which would resolve both team’s receiver issues. Jefferson hasn’t been at organized team activities amid his contract renegotiation hopes.
Godwin, meanwhile, is due for contract extension with free agency around the corner for 2025. ESPN’s Jennna Laine reported that “talks on an extension have not started” according to “sources close to the situation.”
In Harabaugh’s trade proposal the Buccaneers sends Godwin plus 2025 first and second-round draft picks and a 2026 second-round selection to the Vikings. That gives the Buccaneers Jefferson in exchange — a receiver who could stay on pace with Buccaneers star receiver Mike Evans‘ 1,000-yard seasons record.
Evans has a league-record 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. Jefferson has four-consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns to kick off his young career out of LSU.
Buccaneers Get Elite Wide Receiver Duo With Justin Jefferson
Tampa Bay would have an elite receiver duo with Evans and Jefferson for quarterback Baker Mayfield to work with. Mayfield posted a career year last season amid 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Jefferson’s last main starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins, excelled with the young wideout. Cousins went over 4,200 yards and 29 or more touchdowns in each of his full seasons with Jefferson.
Jefferson posted 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns in less than 17 games last season, but his numbers have popped much more than that. He caught 108 passes for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021 followed by a 128-catch, 1,809-yard, and eight-touchdown performance in 2022.
Evans wouldn’t need to be the main go-to guy with Jefferson on the field as defenses would need to tangle with both elite receivers. The longtime Buccaneers star still has it, and that showed last season amid his 79 catches for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Tampa Bay rewarded Evans with a two-year, $41 million extension this offseason. Godwin has a year left on his three-year, $60 million deal, and the Buccaneers put similar money toward Jefferson instead.
Buccaneers Would Need to Weigh Costs With Justin Jefferson
Jefferson, who has a $19.74 million fifth-year extension with the Vikings for 2024, will cost a king’s ransom. The Buccaneers would need some work to afford Jefferson in a trade amid $8.56 million in salary cap space this year.
Afterward, the Buccaneers would have to pay big money for Jefferson, who could command $32.5 million annually per Spotrac. That’s on par with other top NFL wideouts A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who all earn $30-$32 million annually.
Tampa Bay would need to weigh giving up significant draft capital, but the Buccaneers have enjoyed success with finding quality picks in the later rounds. Recent third-round picks Rachaad White (2022) and Robert Hainsey (2021) became starters within their first two seasons for instance.
Whether or not the Buccaneers would truly swing a trade for Jefferson, the Vikings have certainly considered a Jefferson trade. Charlie Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the Vikings considered a trade during the draft that involved the No. 5 pick with the Los Angeles Chargers, to grab former LSU star wideout Malik Nabers according to Walters.
