Did Vikings offer Justin Jefferson to Patriots for No. 3 pick in draft?

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter discussed during a Monday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" if the Minnesota Vikings included star wide receiver Justin Jefferson in a potential trade package offered to the New England Patriots for the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

"No, they did not," Schefter directly said, as shared by Tyler Forness of Sporting News. "They offered various pick packages to come up there. The Vikings had the most discussions with the Patriots. On Thursday, I texted someone in New England, 'Any chance this (trade) gets done?' And the text I got back a few hours before the draft was 'zero chance.'"

The Vikings and New York Giants reportedly were "the most active" teams last week regarding a potential trade for the draft's third pick that New England ultimately spent to land North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. 

This past Friday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated revealed that Minnesota offered New England picks No. 11 and No. 23 this year, a 2025 first-round choice and "pick swaps favoring the Vikings as part of the proposal." On Monday, Breer suggested that the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and Patriots never came close to moving out of the draft's first three selections. 

The Bears made USC quarterback Caleb Williams the draft's first pick. Washington selected LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels at No. 2. 

As for Jefferson, his name had routinely been mentioned in trade rumors because he's in the final year of his rookie contract at a time when Minnesota may have considered hitting a reset button after quarterback Kirk Cousins left the club and signed with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. 

Minnesota instead held onto Jefferson and traded up from the 11th pick to choice No. 10 to take Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

"Clearly, the Patriots were determined to stick where they were," Schefter added on Monday. "They knew, like everyone else, that Caleb Williams was going one, that Jayden Daniels was going two and that they were going to be able to take Drake Maye."

Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said on Saturday that the Vikings "continue to have great dialogue with" Jefferson's representatives about a contract extension. It's assumed Minnesota will eventually make Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL this spring or summer unless he declines to sign with the club before the start of the 2024 season.