Justin Jefferson 'Tired' of Trade Buzz Around Vikings, Urges Patience amid 0-3 Start

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is over the rumor mill.

The Vikings are 0-3 to start the 2023 season, one of just four winless teams in the NFL. That makes the road to the playoffs extremely difficult as only four teams that have started the season 0-3 since 1990 have rebounded to make the playoffs.

This unfortunate precedent has some wondering about the team's direction going forward and if moving some valuable players for draft capital could be the best way to proceed.

Jefferson disagrees, citing the long road ahead.

"At the end of the day it's not going to be perfect every time," Jefferson said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. "There's things that you've got to go through throughout the season to really tell if you're going to be a great team or not. We're handling adversity early in the season with the turnovers and being 0-3, but there is a whole bunch of more games to go."

He added: "I'm tired of people saying that we're looking into next season or all of the trades and stuff like that. We're focused still on this season. We have a lot more games to go and we have a lot more things to accomplish this season. We're still focused in, and we still have the same goal as we had before the season. We just need to fix a few things and I feel like we'll be back on track."

Of the four winless teams remaining in the NFL, the Vikings have been the closest to victory. The team has lost its first three games by a combined 13 points, with the largest deficit being a six-point Week 2 loss at the hands of the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.

They are also coming off a 13-4 season that saw them win the NFC North. While that season ended in an early playoff exit, it still shows that the roster is formidable and capable of much more.

Still, the team is 0-3 for a reason. The Vikings have a league-high nine turnovers through three games, including seven fumbles. That's a mark that clearly needs to improve, and the addition of running back Cam Akers should bolster a run game that has been nonexistent.

Still, the margin for error in the NFL is slim at best and the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers both are 2-1 to start the season.

Minnesota will look to get back on track Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, who are also 0-3 to start the season.