While Justin Jefferson is the kind of talent that teams don’t trade lightly, the NFL world wondered if the Minnesota Vikings would do so this offseason.

Jefferson was coming off an injury-riddled season, was up for a new market-rate contract, and the team lost quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​to free agency. Of course, none of that mattered, and Minnesota happily offered the superstar receiver a new four-year, $140 million contract with $110 million guaranteed.

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

Of those teams, the 49ers are clearly the most interesting. They narrowly lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs and already have the best collection of skill position players in the NFL. Adding Jefferson, presumably by trading Brandon Aiyuk after his contract issues this offseason, would have made them even more dangerous.

The Jets’ inclusion is also intriguing because it reflects how all-in the front office is this year and how much depends on Aaron Rodgers’ ability to recover from his torn Achilles tendon last season. The Colts aren’t expected to compete like the other two teams mentioned, but they clearly want to find an elite pass-catching target for young quarterback Anthony Richardson.

A fun ‘what if’ scenario to imagine as the 2024 season gets underway.