With much of the roster-building portion of the offseason done with, many teams are shifting attention to extensions with their top in-house players. In the Vikings’ case, that means a new deal for wideout Justin Jefferson is an obvious priority. 
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year has put up the most productive three-year start to a career in NFL history, meaning a second contract will no doubt be a lucrative one. Jefferson could easily command a deal placing him amongst the highest-paid receivers in the league, something which would be particularly noteworthy given the recent surge in the positions’ market.
14 wideouts average $20MM or more per season on their current contracts, while Miami’s Tyreek Hill became the league’s first ever $30MMM-per-year player at the position in 2022. Talks between the Vikings and Jefferson will likely be centered around where he fits in he receiver pecking order given not only his statistical achievements, but also his age (23) relative to the league’s other highly-paid WRs.
“I don’t know if I’d put a timeline on it,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said of a Jefferson extension, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “I just know that, you know, we very much are looking forward to having Justin play here for a really long time… I look forward to when we get that done and we can move forward knowing that Justin’s going to be here for the long term and we will get that done. Justin knows, his representation knows exactly how we feel about him.”
Those comments echo ones made by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah earlier this offseason on the topic of getting a new deal done with Jefferson this offseason, the first in which one can be signed. The LSU alum has one year remaining on his rookie contract, and Minnesota made the obvious decision of picking up his fifth-year option (worth $19.74MM) for 2024.
While that will keep Jefferson on the books for the short-term future, a mega-deal being finalized in the coming weeks or months would come as little surprise. The Vikings currently find themselves in worse cap shape than all but the Buccaneers at the moment, but clarity could emerge next offseason when quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ deal expires. By that point, Jefferson could very well find himself as the league’s highest-paid receiver.
Dude is a stud! He hooked me up last season for my fantasy team.
He’s been fantasy gold since his rookie season. Happy to draft him late that year, but that won’t happen again anytime soon barring injury.
One of these days, I’d love for a superstar like him to say “I’m not signing early – I want to pick where I play after this year.”
I know some people say that he should take the money while he can since he’s risking it all without a long-term contract, keep in mind that he’s making $19MM this year.
Next year he is making 19 million
I wonder if the Vikings have considered whether they should be trading Jefferson in order to acquire some re-build picks – as they are on the fast track to stink in 2024, and a rebuild goes faster when you have both picks AND cap space.
That’s not even a remote possiblity IMO. You don’t trade away the best WR in the NFL while he is also one of the youngest.o
I agree with you, but to play devil’s advocate…. Could trading Jefferson get a return of what the Vikes gave Dallas for Herschel Walker?
7 years 200 mil 100 guaranteed
His 5th year option was picked up for the 2024 season, so in reality there is still another year plus before this becomes even close to an issue.
Looks like the Vikings will be replacing Kirk’s salary with JJ’s soon. 5/175 is my guess. He will set the bar for WR contracts.