Vincent Jackson: Is V-Jack Worth More Than the Future of the Vikings?

As of 3pm this afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings time is running out for the services of pro bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson, if they want him to play week five... 24 hours to be exact. According to numerous tweets, the Vikings are looking at making a one year deal to get the receiver in purple, but, the question still remains, do they really need him?

The answer to this question is...

Well, it's actually another question, and that question is a much harder question to answer, since the obvious answer to whether they need him or not is clear after another week of struggling on offense... YES they do.

The harder of the two questions is...

Do the Vikings want to win this year (at least significantly boost the chances) and have a much longer rebuilding process in the years to come?

Or do they want to possibly struggle to make the playoffs, maybe even miss out on the playoffs, and have a quicker rebuilding process?

The Vikings season thus far has been exceptionally below the expectations set heading into the 2010-2011 season to say the least, the majority of Vikings fans expected their team to be at least 2-1 going into their early Week 4 bye, if not 3-0.

The reality of the matter is going into the bye, they are in serious danger of heading into the Week 5 match-up on the road against a very stout Jets team at New Meadowlands Stadium 0-3.

If the purple and gold can manage going into the bye 1-2, the chances of them beating the Jets, with one of, if not the best secondary in the league, without Rice, or Jackson, they aren't going to be 2-2, they will likely see themselves at 1-3, and even further behind the NFC North favorite Green Bay Packers that will probably be holding an undefeated record of 5-0.

The Vikings playoff aspirations are almost history by Week 5 if they can not acquire Jackson from San Diego, and will need to play the rest of a tough schedule almost to perfection, with at worst a 11-1 record to contend with Green Bay.

This looks to be the imminent scenario for Minnesota if they cannot pick Vincent Jackson up in the next 24 hours, however, could it be better for the Vikings in the long term?

The answer to this question is also yes.

Minnesota will need to give up at least one key player, and a draft pick next year, or two draft picks from the next few years to rip Jackson away from A.J Smith and the Chargers.

The next few years for the Vikings will need their draft picks to rebuild their squad, with Brett Favre to retire, along with the Williams wall, the team needs these picks, as well as having to re-sign Sindey Rice and Adrian Peterson to name a few.

If the Vikings get Jackson, they could find themselves in the NFC North basement for the next few years, so, at the end of it all, there's one last question that the Vikings and their fans must ask themselves.

Is the signing of Jackson, who will essentially be a rental player, and still does not guarantee a Super Bowl, or even an appearance, worth the future of the franchise?