Rumor Mill: Is Justin Jefferson joining former teammates Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati?

CINCINNATI — At this point, who hasn't heard from a friend who heard from a friend who knows someone connected to the Bengals that Cincinnati is trying to trade for Justin Jefferson?

Jefferson, college teammates with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja'Marr Chase, is entering his fifth-year option season with the Minnesota Vikings. A Pro Bowler and All-Pro in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, his resume speaks for itself.

But would the Vikings want to part with their star receiver? And would the Bengals be willing to pay up in exchange for Jefferson? Those questions have yet to be answered.

Here's what we do know:

• Bengals receiver Tee Higgins has requested a trade after Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on him ahead of this season. Reports say Higgins hoped for an extension but claims he has not had any talks with the team since March 2023.
• Former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is leaving Minnesota after signing a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
• The Vikings signed quarterback Sam Darnold. The No. 3 pick in the 2018 lottery spent last season as Brock Purdy's backup in San Francisco.
• NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said Minnesota wants to lock Jefferson down "for the long haul" but noted the team needs to solidify the quarterback situation.

Now for the speculation:

Rumors that the Bengals could trade for Jefferson appear to begin after a cryptic tweet from his old teammate, Chase.

Chase posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon, "this will be a krazy story to tell."

The post could be about literally anything, but fans, media members and even former players decided it could only mean one thing.

Kay Adams, host of the NFL show "Up and Adams" on FanDuel TV quoted the post, saying, "translation: (Jefferson) incoming ?!"

Adams wasn't done yet. She shared an interview with Jefferson from December where she teased that he would look good in tiger stripes. He laughed, saying, "We ain't gonna talk about that."

Former Bengal tight end Tyler Eifert got in on the fun, screenshotting Super Bowl odds that show Cincinnati with the sixth-highest odds.

"Sources telling me Jefferson to Cincy is in motion. 👀," he joked.

One fan on Twitter went as far as posting alleged texts from someone who knows someone who knows Burrow's girlfriend who said she's told people they're trying to trade for Jefferson. The likelihood that Burrow's girlfriend would say anything is incredibly low, but it was enough to get the Bengals' social media team to comment.

"Twitter has now reached 'My friend at Kroger...' rumors. Free agency is wild," the team posted on X.

If there's any truth to rumors, we'll be sure to let you know. For now, here is a link to confirmed moves made by the Bengals this week.