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New York Giants legend and CBS Sports NFL analyst Tiki Barber explained on Thursday’s edition of the WFAN “Evan and Tiki” program why the New York Jets should be all-in on trying to trade for Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“They need talent,” Barber said about the Jets, as shared by Ryan Chichester of Audacy. “They need someone alongside (wide receiver) Garrett Wilson, and they have a short window to do it because of (quarterback) Aaron Rodgers. Think about the urgency of the Jets right now, from the head coach, the coordinator, (general manager) Joe Douglas. There is a ‘we need to win right now.'”
Former Jets quarterback and current NFL analyst Boomer Esiason still has ties to the organization and suggested earlier in the week that team owner Woody Johnson could part ways with Douglas, Rodgers and head coach Robert Saleh next winter if the club doesn’t at least end the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues. As for Wilson, whispers have hovered over the Jets throughout the offseason hinting that he could want a fresh start elsewhere if he endures another losing campaign with the franchise.
Jefferson, meanwhile, is possibly a year away from free agency and wants to “break the bank” with a contract extension that will likely make him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback for a period of time. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell insisted while speaking with media members at the NFL scouting combine that Jefferson won’t be traded before the 2024 season, but it’s thought the team’s stance could change if quarterback Kirk Cousins signs with a different club in free agency.
“I know there are a lot of glaring issues, including along the offensive line,” Barber added about the Jets. “But when you have the opportunity to go get one of, if not the, best free agents soon-to-be available on the market, you go and get Justin Jefferson.”
The league’s recent salary-cap explosion coupled with the fact that Rodgers, 40, won’t be on the books for too much longer are reasons to believe the Jets could make Jefferson more than a one-year rental. Regardless of the club’s future, landing Rodgers last spring turned the Jets into a win-now organization that absolutely must consider sacrificing its future to acquire a game-changing talent such as Jefferson.
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