Until the ink officially hits paper, those rumors will not stop. But two reports have come out since the NFL Draft saying that the Vikings tried to trade up to No. 5 with the LA Chargers in order to draft, not a QB, but WR Malik Nabers.

One report via Charley Walters (Pioneer Press) suggested that Minnesota would have tried to deal Justin Jefferson, had they been able to complete the deal for his fellow LSU alumni. That has led to reports, after the fact, that JJ has been pushed “even further away” because of those Nabers trade up reports.

Report: Minnesota Vikings never tried to trade up for Malik Mabers

But on Tuesday, NFL insider and Minnesota Vikings beat writer Kevin Seifert (ESPN) sent a tweet to try and end what has quickly become a snowballing situation. According to Seifert’s sources, the Vikings NEVER tried to trade up for Nabers during the draft.

This rumor has made the rounds, and it's admittedly juicy, but the Vikings did not try last month to trade up and draft WR Malik Nabers. Great player, but Vikings have a better one in Justin Jefferson. Still working to extend Jefferson and no interest in trading him.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) May 28, 2024

Obviously, Seifert got ahold of someone in the Minnesota Vikings organization who wanted to shut down all of these Malik Nabers trade rumors. I can’t blame them. As soon as they heard that Justin Jefferson might be getting frustrated, they probably bolted into action.

But if I could give Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a little bit of advice, it would be to shut all of the talk down by getting the Jefferson deal done, finally. Hopefully, the Vikings’ GM has learned a valuable lesson that he will carry with him for the rest of his time working in NFL front offices.

Related: Jared Allen Urges Vikings to Invest Big in Justin Jefferson

When you have a player you are 100% sure you do not want to lose, don’t let it get as far down the road as it has with Justin. It is only going to hurt your team both in the pocket book and in the headlines.

We now know that the Patriots refuted the Vikings’ trade offer for Maye but according to a Charley Walters (Pioneer Press), there’s a lot of buzz around the NFL world that the Vikings wanted to move up on draft night for a wide receiver, not quarterback.

Minnesota Vikings targeted Malik Nabers in 2024 NFL Draft?

The Target? Louisiana State University wide receiver, Malik Nabers. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of this “buzz”, but it is the first we’ve heard it connected to what would have been a Justin Jefferson trade.

According to @Charley_Walters, there was buzz at draft time that the #Vikings wanted to move up to pick No. 5 to select LSU WR Malik Nabers 🤯

If the trade had occurred WR Justin Jefferson would’ve been traded 👀

“There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move… pic.twitter.com/47UeHi9PlM

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 26, 2024

There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move from No. 11 to No. 5, not to pick a QB but to get LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was picked No. 6 by the Giants. Had that trade occurred, Jefferson would have been traded and Nabers would have been the No. 1 receiver.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

Related: Is Justin Jefferson the One Holding Up Contract Talks with Vikings?

Although the Vikings have publicly stated that they aren’t going to trade Jefferson, until he signs his extension, these types of rumors will only intensify as the offseason continues with Jefferson entering the last season of his rookie contract.

Ultimately, the Minnesota Vikings did not trade up to pick No. 5, and the New York Giants selected Nabers at pick No. 6. The Vikings then went on to draft their quarterback of the future in J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, one of the top ranked edge rushers in the draft.

Remember Florio’s report during the draft?

Walters isn’t the only prominent media member to state the Vikings’ interest in Nabers. Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) noted the same thing right after Nabers was picked by the Giants at No. 6 on draft night.

At No. 5, the Chargers, when they took Joe Alt, they passed on an opportunity to trade out of that spot. The team that wanted to move up to that spot, I’m told… the Minnesota Vikings. And not to take J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings, I’m told, were trying to move up to No. 5 to get Malik Nabers.

Mike Florio – Pro Football Talk

Although Florio mentioned this as well, the Vikings still didn’t execute the trade up for Nabers. Is this just a rumor? Did the Los Angeles Chargers reject the trade offer? Were the Vikings not really serious about trading up for Nabers?

Related: Justin Jefferson’s New Contract Could Cost the Vikings Jordan Addison

We’ll likely never know the real answer to any of these questions. One things for sure… where there’s smoke, there’s usually a fire.

But, from what’s been reported, JJ wasn’t their first option. Multiple reports say they were trying to move up as high as No. 3, in pursuit of Drake Maye. That’s not the only supposed trade up that they were trying to complete, though.

Minnesota Vikings tried trading up in 2024 NFL Draft for… Malik Nabers?

According to Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk), they tried to make a move that would have shook up the entire first round and had our brains malfunctioning almost to the degree of what they are dealing with today in Atlanta. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was reportedly trying to get to No. 5, where the LA Chargers were.

During a live hit last night for ProFootballTalk.com, Florio said a source he trusts says the Vikings had serious discussions Jim Harbaugh & Co, not to get a QB, but to try and snag LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

This is insane, Vikings tried to trade up for Malik Nabers !!! pic.twitter.com/kNV3YDCgej

— Mace The Flip Flopper 😎 (@realmaceblack) April 26, 2024

“I’ve got a little something more to tell you, here. Something I’ve picked up, because I’ve got tentacles everywhere. I’ve got connections. I’m hearing things and you know what I heard, and I’m surprised by this but I trust my source. At No. 5, the Chargers, when they took Joe Alt, they passed on an opportunity to trade out of that spot.

The team that wanted to move up to that spot, I’m told… the Minnesota Vikings. And not to take J McCarthy. The Vikings, I’m told, were trying to move up to No. 5 to get Malik Nabers.”

Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk

From there, Florio goes on to question what the Vikings’ interest in Malik Nabers meant for Justin Jefferson. Could Minnesota really be concerned they might lose him or be forced to trade him this offseason (or next) should they not be able to reach a contract agreement.

Related: Kevin O’Connell Reacted Just Like You Did After Vikings’ Trade Up

Now, it’s important to not that this ProFootballTalk report came after the New York Giants selected Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick and after the Chargers had already drafted ‘one of us’ Joe Alt at pick 5. But it was before the Minnesota Vikings had traded up to No. 10 to take JJ McCarthy. Here’s the rest of the transcript from the Florio clip above.

“What does that tell you about the Vikings and Justin Jefferson? The Vikings tried to get to No. 5, apparently not to get McCarthy, but to get Malik Nabers. What an offense that would’ve been. They still would’ve needed a quarterback, they may get that quarterback in a few picks.”

Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk

What in the Mike Florio world is going on here…

We now know that the Vikings were able to land JJ McCarthy at No. 10. So, if we assume that Florio’s source was correct, one has to wonder if Kwesi and O’Connell were really trying to stack the Minnesota receiving core to a level we haven’t seen since Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed all suited up in purple and gold.

Related: Kwesi Laughs Off Reports that Vikings Approached Chargers About Justin Herbert Trade

Or… was the Vikings’ call up to No. 5 a smokescreen of some sort? We know the Giants spent more time with JJ McCarthy than any other team in the draft and many thought he would be the pick at No. 6, if he was still available.

Instead, it was New York who passed on JJ and opted for Nabers at No. 6. We may never know the answer to these questions, or if this call up ever really happened. But Nonetheless, it is a ‘what in the…’ type of report that Mike Florio has become famous for.