3 realistic trade packages Patriots could offer for Justin Jefferson

In less than a year, the New England Patriots have gone from being looked at as The Overlook Hotel to The Plaza Hotel. For the first time since Tom Brady was the quarterback, the Patriots are the best destination team in the entire NFL.

And that’s good news if the team wanted to cannonball into the water this offseason with a monster trade for a player like Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

It feels impossible that the Vikings would even consider moving on from a player like Jefferson, but the same could have been said for Micah Parsons, who was ultimately traded by the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers back in August.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy hasn’t shown any signs of improving, and the team let Sam Darnold walk out the door last offseason. Perhaps McCarthy finally figures it out down the stretch and shows a glimmer of hope for a once-promising team that has now fallen to dead last in the NFC North division with a 4-8 record.

But if the downward spiral continues for McCarthy, the Vikings might have a franchise-altering decision on their hands. They can continue to hold on to Jefferson and watch his value depreciate on a losing football team, or they could maximize his value in a trade and move forward with a rebuild.

If they choose the latter, the Patriots should be one of the interested teams. The very thought of pairing Jefferson with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is a dream scenario.

Stick around in the dream world for a little longer while I present some potential trade packages for arguably the best receiver in football.

1. Patriots send two first-round picks to Vikings for Justin Jefferson

Let’s get one thing out of the way: Justin Jefferson won’t come for cheap.

It will likely cost the Patriots multiple premium draft picks to land an elite talent like Jefferson in his prime at only 26 years old. So it makes sense to start with the price tag of two first-round draft picks. That steep price would be paying for a player who should be great for years to come.

Suppose the Patriots are considering upgrading at wide receiver next year. In that case, they need to ask themselves one simple question: What is the likelihood that they find a player better than Jefferson in the next two NFL drafts?

With that said, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has been content to do a slow rebuild by methodically building a well-rounded roster. It would be a complete deviation for him to give up so much in a trade.

2. Patriots send two first-round picks and a player to Vikings for Justin Jefferson

The Patriots might have to go the Micah Parsons trade route to land a player of Jefferson’s caliber. In that case, it would cost them two first-round draft picks and a player.

Keep in mind, other teams would be interested in Jefferson’s services as well, even if he came with a price tag of two first-round draft picks. It could come down to which team is willing to go the extra mile to get a deal done, and that could be the caliber of player attached to the trade offer.

The Cowboys got two firsts and defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons.

3. Patriots send one first-round pick and two second-round picks to Vikings for Justin Jefferson

The Vikings aren’t getting three first-round draft picks (sorry, Vikings fans), but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t come away with three premium draft picks in a trade. Granted, that’s three major draft board darts the Patriots would be giving up to land Jefferson.

Some would argue that the move would still be worth it, while others might prefer a more conservative approach considering how well the team is already performing without a No. 1 wide receiver.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 3 realistic trade packages Patriots could offer for Justin Jefferson