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Minor NFL Transactions: 6/17/24

June 17th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: WR Devron Harper

New England Patriots

  • Waived: G Ryan Johnson

Both Harper and Johnson were among this year’s collection of UDFAs. The Vikings guaranteed Harper $15K, according to Cardinals Wire’s Howard Balzer. Johnson, who played collegiately at Youngstown State, was not part of the Patriots’ initial UDFA haul. He signed with the team last month. Harper was one of two Mercer wideouts the Vikings signed after the draft. The other — Ty James — remains on Minnesota’s 90-man offseason roster.

Ten Unsigned 2024 Draft Picks Remain

June 17th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL collectively is ahead of where it was last year with regards to draft signings. Teams have navigated the guarantee issue second-round contracts presented in recent years. Unlike 2023, when 30 players were unsigned in late June and nearly half the second round was without contracts entering July, we are down to 10 unsigned rookies from the 2024 class. Here is the lot still without NFL contracts:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

The clearest difference between this year and last comes from the second round. On June 17, 2023, half the second-rounders were unsigned. The 2011 CBA introducing the slot system has removed most of the drama from rookie-deal negotiations, but second-rounders continue to make guarantee gains. This contractual component has complicated matters for teams in the past, but that has not been the case — for the most part — this year.

A number of 2021 second-round picks remain attached to their rookie deals. Those terms illustrate the improvements Round 2 draftees have made on that front since. The Jaguars did guarantee 2021 No. 33 pick Tyson Campbell‘s first three seasons; his fourth brought $50K guaranteed. This year, the Bills needed to guarantee nearly Keon Coleman‘s entire rookie contract. Coleman has three years locked in and $1.74MM of his $2.1MM 2027 base salary is guaranteed at signing. This year’s No. 59 overall pick (Texans tackle Blake Fisher) secured more in Year 4 guarantees than Campbell’s deal contains.

A sizable gap does exist between Coleman’s final-year guarantees and those of Falcons DT Ruke Orhorhoro (No. 35 overall). The Clemson product has $966K of his $2.1MM 2024 base guaranteed. This gulf has likely caused the holdup for the Chargers and McConkey, a player who — after the exits of longtime starters Keenan Allen and Mike Williams — stands to be a central figure in the Bolts’ first Jim Harbaugh-era offense. With the top players in Round 2 on the cusp of seeing fully guaranteed deals, McConkey can set another notable precedent while gaining some additional security for himself.

First-round contracts have only been fully guaranteed en masse since 2022, when Vikings safety Lewis Cine — chosen 32nd overall — secured those terms. Though, matters like offset language still have been known to slow negotiations. Extended holdouts into training camp no longer occur among rookies, with players risking the loss of an accrued season toward free agency — a product of the 2020 CBA — by doing so. Corley and Benson were this year’s top third-round picks. The 49ers gave No. 64 overall pick Renardo Green two fully guaranteed years. That has likely caused a holdup for the Jets and Cardinals, considering the progress made via contracts agreed to by earlier draftees.

Rams Contacted Jets, Vikings About Round 1 Trade-Up

June 14th, 2024 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Known for trading first-round picks for veteran talent since returning to Los Angeles, the Rams finally used their allotted selection on a college performer this year by drafting Florida State’s Jared Verse at No. 19. But this came after reports of the team trying to climb into the top 10.

A pre-draft report indicated the Rams were interested in moving into the top 10, and Georgia’s Brock Bowers was believed to be the team’s target. The Rams have Tyler Higbee coming off a late-season ACL tear, with Hunter Long having undergone MCL surgery shortly before that. The team signed Colby Parkinson in free agency, but Bowers certainly would have represented a splashier piece in Sean McVay‘s offense.

The Rams targeted the Jets with a trade-up effort. Not seeking one of the quarterbacks still on the board, the Jets eventually used their position to squeeze an extra fourth-round pick from the QB-needy Vikings. That J.J. McCarthy-centered transaction came after GM Joe Douglas took a call from Rams counterpart Les Snead. A recent look into the Rams’ draft process (h/t The33rdTeam.com’s Ari Meirov) points to Snead offering Nos. 19 and 52 to the Jets for No. 10.

Snead revealed Douglas was not interested in moving down from 10 to 19. That drop likely would have taken the Jets out of the running for the player they eventually grabbed at 11 — Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu. Following the Jets-Vikings trade, the Rams came back with an offer that included Nos. 19, 52 and third- and sixth-round picks for No. 11, Meirov adds. While would have brought an interesting haul for the Jets, the team’s decision to pass shows its level of interest in Fashanu, who became this year’s third tackle chosen.

The Rams’ call was also interesting due to the pre-draft Jets-Bowers connections that developed. The Jets hosted the Georgia tight end on a “30” visit following his clearance from ankle surgery, and pre-draft reports suggested Gang Green stood as the floor for the three-year SEC standout. The Jets also were believed to be interested in adding another wide receiver to the mix, but after the Bears took Washington’s Rome Odunze at No. 9, the team — which had also been linked to trading down — made a deal with the Vikings and still landed Fashanu at 11.

Fashanu joins March pickups Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses in a Jets tackle group that promises to be deeper than last season’s contingent, while Verse will join ex-Seminoles teammate Braden Fiske — whom the Rams acquired after completing a second-round trade-up effort (via the Panthers) — in a group effort to replace the retired Aaron Donald.

McVay also called ex-assistant Kevin O’Connell about a move to No. 11, but the eighth-year Los Angeles HC was fairly sure the Vikings — after a run of QB work and extensive rumors leading up to the draft — would stay and pick McCarthy were he still on the board at 11.

It certainly would have been interesting to see the Rams equip Matthew Stafford with a dynamic tight end. The Rams have obviously enjoyed sustained success under McVay, but they have not employed a Pro Bowl tight end during the Super Bowl-winning HC’s tenure. Though, Higbee has put together multiple productive seasons. Going down in the Rams’ wild-card loss, Higbee will not be ready for training camp. It would not surprise to see the ninth-year veteran land on the reserve/PUP list to start the season.

The Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. pick at No. 8 halted any Broncos trade-down interest as well. Sean Payton‘s interest in adding Bo Nix effectively cut off the Rams’ options re: Bowers. The Raiders will attempt to make good use out of a Bowers-Michael Mayer tandem, having made a best-player-available choice — after six QBs went off the board before their No. 13 overall slot — to bring in this draft’s top TE.

Sam Darnold To Open Training Camp As Vikings’ Starter

June 12th, 2024 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

The Vikings are set to look very different under center in 2024. After watching Kirk Cousins go down with a season-ending injury last year, Minnesota was forced to use a mixture of Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall to finish the season. With Cousins in Atlanta now and Dobbs now a backup in San Francisco, the Vikings will be looking at two new faces atop the depth chart.

The team essentially exchanged Dobbs for former 49ers backup quarterback Sam Darnold who failed to start more than one game for the first time in his six-year career last season. Darnold was expected to return to a starting role in his replacement of Cousins, being designated as the new QB1 over the incumbent Mullens and Hall. That was, of course, barring any further additions to the room in the offseason.

The Vikings were not in a position to go after one of the top three quarterbacks in the 11th draft slot. Still, many saw the organization as one of the teams likely to go after a passer in the draft, but nobody was quite sure what lengths the team would go to in order to acquire one. Minnesota was lucky enough to see the fourth quarterback projected to come off the board start to slide down closer and closer to their pick but needed to avoid getting scooped and traded up one spot in order to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall.

Rarely these days are quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 draft picks without an expectation that they will start right away, but it appears that is the case for now. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, head coach Kevin O’Connell has announced that Darnold, and not McCarthy, will begin training camp as the starting quarterback.

Darnold had been running as QB1 through organized team activities this spring, and O’Connell saw no reason to change things up quite yet. Right now, McCarthy has reportedly been focusing more on individual improvement than on competition with Darnold. While McCarthy could certainly get an opportunity to win the job at the end of the summer, O’Connell stopped short of saying anything more than that he is planning for training camp to be “competitive” at many positions.

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Addresses Financial Approach

June 9th, 2024 at 1:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been at the helm of the Vikings for the past two years, and that span has seen considerable roster turnover. A few major roster-building decisions have been made this offseason, including the recent monster investment made in receiver Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson’s extension carries an annual average value of $35MM, the highest figure for a non-quarterback in NFL history. He is a member of the team’s young core now and for the foreseeable future, and the structure of the pact includes guaranteed money in all but its final season. The Jefferson accord is the latest component of the Vikings’ financial approach, one Adofo-Mensah recently expanded on.

“I have been in places where they have specific calculations for how much a player’s worth,” he said (via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). “Those are tougher in football as compared to baseball, just because of the interaction between teammates and things like that. But I do know those numbers, and obviously I have [them] in our calculations. There’s also ways to do it, relative value-wise: Would I rather have a quarterback at this level or a wide receiver at this level or a [pass] rusher at this level?”

In the era of certain positions – quarterback being chief among them – occupying an increasingly large share of salary cap space, the question of which players to invest in on second contracts has become a central element of roster construction. In the case of the Vikings, of course, the QB spot is now made up of veteran Sam Darnold (who signed a one-year, $10MM deal in free agency) and first-rounder J.J. McCarthy (who will be attached to his rookie deal for at least four years).

The extra funds realized by letting Kirk Cousins depart will be used in part on Jefferson’s deal, as well as the one tight end T.J. Hockenson is signed to. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw is a candidate for the Vikings’ next lucrative in-house contract, something Adofo-Mensah confirmed is a preferred means of committing cap space to the team’s new nucleus.

“The draft is the most efficient way to boost talent, but re-signing your own is typically the second best, right?” he said. “Because then free agency is its own deal, and you have to pay a premium to the market. And then lastly is, people have to trade. So with that kind of hierarchy, we look at these deals as still pretty favorable to the team, when you’re extending your own.”

Minnesota is currently projected to have over $54MM in cap space in 2025, and the likes of McCarthy, fellow first-round rookie Dallas Turner and wideout Jordan Addison will be on cost-controlled pacts for multiple years beyond that point. That will create a notable window for Adofo-Mensah to make additions aimed at complementing the players attached to lucrative second contracts as the organization’s transition away from numerous veterans of the previous regime continues.

Vikings Moving N’Keal Harry To TE

June 5th, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

N’Keal Harry has struggled to carve out a role as a receiver during his professional career. Now, the former first-round pick will be looking to make an NFL roster as a tight end. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Harry will be switching positions ahead of the 2024 campaign.

“N’Keal is really fired up about it,” O’Connell said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “He has attacked the process, long before we even got started in the offseason program. But you’re hoping to see the receiving traits lead the way early on, as they get a little more comfort in maybe having their hand down, being a part of run schemes, the different kind of run schemes that we’re implementing, and N’Keal has shown that. . . . At this stage in his career a position change is unique, but we’re hoping we’re developing a guy who can be a real third-down weapon, red-zone weapon, with his skill set.”

Harry was a bust in New England, as the Arizona State product was unable to click with Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones. His best season came in 2020, when he hauled in 33 catches for 309 yards and two scores. Otherwise, his Patriots tenure saw him collect another 24 receptions. He caught seven passes for the Bears in 2022 before spending the 2023 campaign as a special teamer in Minnesota.

This position change should only help the 26-year-old’s chances of making the 2024 roster. Andrew Krammer of The Star Tribune passed along yesterday that star tight end T.J. Hockenson will likely start the season on injured reserve as he recovers from a torn ACL. That would open a spot on the depth chart for at least the first four weeks of the season.

The Vikings will return the same TE grouping next season, meaning Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt will be the likeliest candidates to fill in for Hockenson. Harry would be competing with the likes of Nick Muse and veteran Robert Tonyan for one of the final spots on the depth chart.

Vikings Sought Longer-Term Justin Jefferson Extension

June 4th, 2024 at 4:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The booming wide receiver market has a new kingpin for the third time this offseason, but the position’s new financial pace-setter secured guarantee figures well north of the previous benchmarks. The Vikings are committed to Justin Jefferson, as their four-year, $140MM extension illustrates.

In guaranteeing the superstar wideout $110MM ($26MM north of the previous high) and fully guaranteeing him $88.7MM ($36MM higher than second place), the Vikings authorized player-friendly terms for a pass catcher on a stratospheric pace. Jefferson shattered Randy Moss‘ receiving yardage record through three seasons and managed a 1,074-yard showing despite missing seven games due to a hamstring injury.

The receiver market’s spike over the past three offseasons has brought a host of three- and four-year deals. Of the top 10 receiver contracts presently, only one (Davante Adams‘ Raiders pact) covered more than four years in length. (Though, Cooper Kupp‘s 2022 extension covered five seasons in total.) The Eagles’ recent A.J. Brown extension (three years, $96MM) brought a pivot point for the Vikings, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, as the receiver’s camp pushed for a deal that would allow him a chance at another payday before age 30.

“Obviously, on their side of it, they always want deal to be shorter: as much money as possible and shorter, and ours, longer,” Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “That [wide receiver] position has gotten shorter in terms, which is a unique dynamic in the market.”

Brown’s three-year deal, agreed to shortly before the draft, had set the AAV and guarantee standards at the position ($32MM, $84MM). The Vikings have been in talks with Jefferson since the 2023 offseason, proposing a deal just south of $30MM per year shortly before Week 1, but the Brown contract brought a short pause. This aligns with a Monday report that suggested the contract talks ramped up after the draft.

That same report pointed to multiple teams being prepared to offer multiple first-rounders for Jefferson and that the Vikes considered trading up (via the Chargers) to No. 5 for LSU’s Malik Nabers. The Bolts did not receive big offers, however, so it is unclear if a genuine consideration at rebooting around another rookie-deal wideout transpired on the Vikings’ part. No receiver has been traded for two first-round picks since 2000 (Joey Galloway, Keyshawn Johnson), but Adams fetching first- and second-round picks in 2022 would have made such a price logical for Jefferson, who turns 25 this month.

Adofo-Mensah pushed back on any notion of a trade, indicating the team had long committed to having the 2020 first-round pick tied to a second contract in Minnesota.

“This day was going to come,” Adofo-Mensah said. “There was never a second in my mind that we weren’t going to be here. We obviously have to navigate challenges and things like that, but this was always our purpose. … At the end of the day, you want to pay premier players who can produce while making other people’s jobs easier. That can come a lot of different ways, at a lot of different positions.”

In addition to Jefferson preferring a shorter-term accord, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes his camp sought to avoid the backloaded structures present in the Adams and Tyreek Hill deals. The Raiders have nonguaranteed $35.6MM and $36.6MM 2025 and ’26 salaries in Adams’ contract, producing a $28MM AAV, while the Dolphins included a nonguaranteed $43.9MM 2026 salary for Hill to create the $30MM AAV figure.

Despite having three years left on his contract, the latter is already angling for an adjustment. Jefferson’s camp wanting no phony numbers in the contract makes sense, and his guarantees will certainly impact other teams’ negotiations with top wideouts.

While Jefferson stumped for another Kirk Cousins contract, the Vikings passed and are set to roll with a low-cost arrangement at the position. J.J. McCarthy‘s rookie deal will be key for the Vikings during this Jefferson pact, and the team has already begun Christian Darrisaw extension talks. As for the Vikes’ post-Cousins QB outlook, Breer notes their top receiver believes in Kevin O’Connell‘s ability to coax quality QB play. Jefferson’s belief in the third-year HC effectively mitigated concerns about how the team’s passing game would look after Cousins’ Falcons defection.

Though Jefferson will be set for a transition post-Cousins, he has secured his payday and is now working with the Vikings’ new QBs at minicamp this week.

Vikings To Re-Sign G Dalton Risner

June 4th, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

JUNE 4: The Vikings may end up having Risner back at less than his 2023 salary. The base value of Risner’s second Minnesota contract checks in at $1.91MM, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Risner will see a $1.41MM base salary; $600K of that amount is guaranteed. That six-figure sum, along with a $500K signing bonus, bumps the veteran guard’s guarantees here to $1.1MM.

Risner can earn up to $3.2MM on this deal, with Florio adding incentives and roster bonuses are in place. He can collect up to $340K in per-game roster bonuses; additionally, a $200K bonus for being on the Vikings’ Week 1 roster is included. To reach any of the playing time-based incentives, Risner must play at least 75% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps. The three-tiered $750K incentive package ranges from 75-85% snap rates.

MAY 29: Dalton Risner has logged two extensive stays in free agency since his rookie contract expired. For a second straight year, it will be the Vikings who end that period.

The veteran starter has an agreement in place to stay in Minnesota, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Risner will rejoin the Vikings on a one-year deal. The team’s eventual Ezra Cleveland replacement, following a midseason trade, made 11 starts last season.

The past two offseasons have added some unexpected chapters to Risner’s NFL career. A Broncos starter in every game he played with his original franchise, the proven guard did not generate interest in free agency last year — to the point he entered the season unsigned. Although Risner made his way into Minnesota’s lineup early in his tenure, he once again failed to command a lucrative deal in free agency. Another Vikings parachute has emerged, however, and the five-year veteran will be a clear option to start once again.

After a handful of guards with similar experience to Risner scored quality deals as free agents in 2023, this year’s record-setting cap spike brought monster deals for a few. Robert Hunt is now a $20MM-per-year player, while four other guards (Jonah Jackson, Kevin Dotson, Damien Lewis, Jon Runyan Jr.) landed pacts worth at least $10MM per annum. Cleveland scored a three-year, $24MM pact to re-sign with the Jaguars. Risner did not join those blockers on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, as last year’s free agency odyssey lowered expectations. But he returned to deliver as a dependable starter for the Vikings, who likely have another low-cost agreement in place with the Kansas State alum.

Pro Football Focus assigned Risner a mid-pack grade at guard (46th) last season, but ESPN’s pass block win rate metric slotted him ninth. Risner, who played for just more than $2.5MM last season, ran his start count to 73 in 2023. It will be interesting to see the numbers here, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates a 53-man roster bonus and per-game roster bonuses are present in this contract. The Vikes had re-signed Blake Brandel to a one-year, $3.25MM deal. While ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes Brandel worked with Minnesota’s first-stringers at OTAs, Risner’s return figures to affect the veteran backup’s standing.

Beginning his Twin Cities tenure as a backup behind Cleveland and Ed Ingram, Risner became a full-time player once the Vikes traded Cleveland to the Jaguars at the deadline. He initially replaced an injured Cleveland before becoming the team’s replacement. Two years remain on Ingram’s rookie contract, and the Vikes still have Christian Darrisaw tied to a rookie deal. Risner, 28, will now be on track to protect J.J. McCarthy — potentially after a span blocking for Sam Darnold — in 2024.

The Broncos used Risner as a four-season starter, pairing him with veteran guards Ronald Leary and Graham Glasgow before Quinn Meinerz‘s emergence. Sean Payton‘s first offseason in charge led to Ben Powers signing a four-year, $52MM deal. Risner will continue to pursue a significant veteran deal, but he has a path back to a starting role in the meantime.

Vikings, WR Justin Jefferson Agree To Deal

June 3rd, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Justin Jefferson contract saga has come to a close. The Vikings have a deal in place for the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year in place, and it will meet his goal of becoming the league’s highest earner amongst non-quarterbacks.

Jefferson has reached agreement on a four-year, $140MM extension, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. The monster deal includes $110MM guaranteed and once again resets the top of the receiver market. He will see just under $89MM locked in at signing, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter; that figure further puts Jefferson in a tier of his own. The 24-year-old is now under contract through 2028. Minnesota has since announced the move.

[RELATED: Teams Prepared Two-First-Rounder Offers For Jefferson?]

Team and player came close to an agreement last offseason, but talks were put on hold during the 2023 campaign. Jefferson missed seven games due to a hamstring injury, but to little surprise that ailment did not hinder his bargaining power. Schefter reports the three-time Pro Bowler turned down an offer carrying an average annual value of more than $28MM last summer. Now, Jefferson has a deal in place worth $35MM per year.

Like many other players angling for new deals, the LSU alum – who was set to play out his $19.74MM fifth-year option in 2024 – stayed away from voluntary OTAs. Minnesota had plenty of time to continue negotiations even after a brief pause during the draft considering the team’s intentions of retaining him for the long term. Schefter adds that multiple teams made trade inquiries about Jefferson this offseason, each of which were emphatically shot down.

An historic start in terms of production has led to one first-team All-Pro nod and a pair of second-team selections early in his career. Jefferson’s statistical output – 5,899 yards, 30 touchdowns in 60 games – gave him considerable leverage to not only move to the top of the pecking order at the WR position but surpass Nick Bosa‘s 2023 49ers extension in terms of raising the bar for non-quarterbacks. Bosa’s then-record breaking extension is worth $34MM per season, and Jefferson has managed to outpace it on this pact.

The 2024 offseason has seen plenty of big-ticket deals signed at the receiver spot, and the $30MM-per-year threshold was surpassed by both Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown on their respective deals. The expectation remained that Jefferson, along with CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals) would represent a tier of their own with respect to value, with each standout waiting for the others to sign to gauge the market. Jefferson has become the first member of that trio to put pen to paper, and Lamb and Chase will no doubt look to use today’s agreement as a new benchmark.

Minnesota’s offense will look much different in 2024 given Kirk Cousins‘ free agent departure. Sam Darnold was added as a short-term replacement, inking a one-year, $10MM deal. As expected, the Vikings then used their top draft pick on a signal-caller by selecting J.J. McCarthy 10th overall. The latter represents the team’s QB of the future, although questions have been raised about his NFL viability given his age and lack of usage in the passing game at Michigan. Having Jefferson in place will obviously help McCarthy acclimate to the pro game when he takes on starting duties.

The Vikings also have Jordan Addison attached to his rookie deal for at least the next three years (or four, if his fifth-year option gets picked up). Minnesota’s skill-position corps includes tight end T.J. Hockenson, who inked a $16.5MM-per-year extension last offseason to move him near the top of the market at his position. Regardless of the level of quarterback play the team sees moving forward, expectations will be high in the passing game given the investments made amongst pass-catchers.

Jefferson will remain a focal point in that respect for the foreseeable future. His ability to remain an elite producer with new signal-callers in place will be worth watching closely, as will the domino effect this deal generates amongst other extension-eligible wideouts.

Vikings Ramped Up Justin Jefferson Talks After Draft; Teams Prepared Two-First-Rounder Trade Offers?

June 3rd, 2024 at 6:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the 2022 offseason featured a boom in the wide receiver market, it did not feature as many changeovers regarding the position’s highest salary as 2024 has brought. The top wideout salary benchmark has now moved three times since late April.

The Vikings are responsible for the biggest AAV vault at the position since the Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins payday in 2020, giving Justin Jefferson a four-year, $140MM extension that comes with a whopping $110MM guaranteed at $88.7M locked in at signing. In addition to the $35MM AAV being $3MM north of the closest WR’s number, Jefferson’s guarantees are on their own tier as well. The fifth-year Viking’s full guarantee number is $26MM higher than any other receiver’s; his $88.7MM full guarantee is a staggering $36MM higher than Tyreek Hill‘s previous market-topping figure. Like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaylen Waddle‘s recent deals, Jefferson will be protected on the guarantee front via year-out vesting.

The Vikes guaranteed $17.99MM of Jefferson’s 2026 base salary ($24.99MM) at signing; already guaranteed for injury, the other $7MM will become fully guaranteed in March 2025, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. Jefferson will be due a $29.25MM base salary in 2027. A $14.26MM injury guarantee already covers the superstar wideout; that will shift to a full guarantee in March 2026. Jefferson’s 2028 base salary ($33.24MM) is nonguaranteed.

Despite the ’28 base being nonguaranteed, Jefferson’s camp did extraordinarily well on this contract — as the substantial leads on the guarantee front confirm. The two-time All-Pro did not need to agree to a lofty final-year figure to prop up the AAV, which was required for Hill and Davante Adams to eclipse Hopkins’ then-record salary in 2022. Hill is angling for an update to his through-2026 contract, one that includes a phony $43.9MM 2026 base salary that almost definitely will not be paid out.

The Vikings used a dual bonus structure (signing and option) in Jefferson’s contract, per OverTheCap, and included a void year (2029). Void years became a thorny issue for this Vikings regime, with both Dalvin Tomlinson and Kirk Cousins tagging the club with notable dead money hits (Cousins’ went to $28.5MM) due to void years. This void structure, however, would only bring a $6MM dead cap hit if Jefferson departed as a free agent in 2029. The Vikings will keep Jefferson cap hits below $16MM in 2024 and ’25, but his 2026 number shoots to $38.98MM.

Negotiations between the Vikings and Jefferson did not intensify until after the draft, Florio adds. Rumblings about Minnesota being interested in trading up to No. 5 for Malik Nabers emerged, though concrete details about that potential effort remain elusive. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been resolute on a Jefferson extension since early in the 2023 offseason; a trade/Nabers-centered reboot would have been borderline shocking.

The Vikings were connected to moving up for a quarterback, which they eventually did by trading from No. 11 to No. 10 (via the Jets). However, Minnesota had acquired an additional first-round pick from Houston (No. 23). This was viewed as a weapon in QB bidding, but with none of the passers beyond Drake Maye drawing extensive trade interest, the Vikings did not need to give up much to climb to No. 10 for J.J. McCarthy.

Minnesota attempted to acquire the No. 3 overall pick from New England, eyeing Maye. The Vikes’ proposal included their 2025 first-round pick, along with mid-round Pats picks going back to Minnesota in the swap. The Maye effort failing could have conceivably prompted the Vikings to try to acquire both Nabers and McCarthy, though that would have been a complex blueprint to complete. They soon focused on just the quarterback, eventually using the No. 23 pick to trade up for Dallas Turner at No. 17.

It would have been surprising but understandable had the Vikings entertained trade offers for Jefferson before and during the draft, given the price point here. The team traded Stefon Diggs in 2020 (and succeeded in replacing him with Jefferson) and unloaded both Percy Harvin (2013) and Randy Moss (2005). Jefferson far outproduced Diggs on his rookie contract, shattering Moss’ NFL record for receiving yardage through three seasons (4,825). The former LSU standout also surpassed 1,000 yards (1,074) last season despite missing seven games due to a hamstring injury.

Had the Vikings been serious about Jefferson trades, Florio adds multiple teams were prepared to offer multiple first-rounders. With Diggs, Hill, Adams and A.J. Brown drawing first-rounders and then other picks in deals earlier this decade, the Vikings certainly carried an interesting chip.

That said, a two-first-rounder offer actually emerging would have been fascinating. Hill, Diggs and Brown did not draw any Day 2 compensation in addition to the first-rounders in those deals. Adams fetched first- and second-rounders. Another team sending the Vikings two first-rounders and then giving Jefferson a record-smashing extension would have depleted resources on multiple fronts, though a star wideout going into his age-25 season is obviously valuable as well.

The Cowboys and Buccaneers traded two first-round picks for wideouts (Joey Galloway, Keyshawn Johnson), but both those blockbusters occurred back in 2000. No team has forked over two first-rounders for a wide receiver since. It would obviously be interesting to learn which current teams were considering a two-first-rounder offer for Jefferson.

Rather than move Jefferson to avoid new financial territory at wide receiver, Minnesota will pair this lucrative contract with McCarthy’s rookie deal, which he must remain tied to through at least 2026. Players like CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase will certainly attempt to use Jefferson’s deal as a springboard, and it will be worth monitoring to see how teams navigate big-ticket WR extensions following this monster Minnesota agreement. Even if Lamb and Chase do not eclipse the Jefferson numbers, the Vikings’ deal will impact those respective talks.

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