Getty Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings.
The bar continues to rise for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson‘s next contract — and if the Vikings don’t reach it, he could take his future into his own hands.
After Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown received a contract extension worth $30 million a year and Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown‘s deal surpassed $32 million a season this offseason, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis spoke to several agents who have negotiated top-of-the-market deals.
While the consensus is that Jefferson will reset the market, one agent said that Jefferson’s next contract could reach up to $36 million a year if he agrees to a five-year extension.
That deal would be worth upwards of $180 million, which would be the largest contract awarded to a non-quarterback ever.
Lewis warned of the potential “storm cloud” ahead: that Jefferson could determine his own future if the Vikings did not meet his contract demands.
“Both parties have levers to pull, too. The Vikings have the franchise tag, and Jefferson, who has never been one to cause controversy, is talented enough to dictate his future,” Lewis wrote. “None of this is fun to type, much less consider, but this messiness is the storm cloud on the horizon.”
While pressure is building for a deal to get done, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said talks remain positive and that Jefferson is at the core of their plans.
“We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives, and you know, the process is ongoing,” Adofo-Mensah said in his post-draft press conference. “You can’t have all these plans where you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we’re going to keep working toward that end goal.”
Vikings Came Close to Justin Jefferson Contract Extension Ahead of 2023 Season: Report
GettyGeneral manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings.
Every time Adofo-Mensah steps to the press podium the question of Jefferson’s contract extension surfaces.
At the NFL Combine, Adofo-Mensah said that the two sides came “unbelievably close” to a deal. Lewis said several Vikings staffers believed a deal would be done before the start of the season.
Those talks have since closed but they remain the foundation of the relationship with Jefferson’s camp. Since then, the subject of Jefferson’s future has remained a boiling point in the national media.
However, the Vikings rarely do business of this magnitude during the season and in the months before the draft. They had to map their financial future on whether they would be tied to Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter first.
As the dog days of the NFL offseason lie ahead, more uproar over no deal is inevitable — especially when (not if) Jefferson does not attend voluntary OTAs.
But Adofo-Mensah has given Jefferson his flowers every step of the way and acknowledged that Jefferson “is the best receiver in the league and should be compensated as such.”
When Will Vikings Finalize Jefferson’s Extension?
GettyJustin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jefferson’s absence at voluntary workouts in April rekindled the speculation surrounding his contract — and it likely won’t be the last team activity he misses.
The Vikings’ voluntary OTAs begin on May 20, and if last offseason is any indication, Jefferson will not be there.
Mandatory minicamps span three days, from June 4 to June 6. Jefferson could incur a fine if he is not a participant.
The Vikings have a precedent of announcing big contract news before the start of training camp — if not before minicamps.
Dalvin Cook‘s contract negotiations in 2020 extended through training camp after his agents announced a planned holdout. Eventually, a deal was done the weekend before Week 1 of the regular season.
Adofo-Mensah said that Jefferson deserves to have his week to celebrate his new contract, a sign that the Vikings hope to not draw out negotiations to the final days before the start of the 2024 season.
Jefferson’s potential absence at minicamps should not be alarming; but if the Vikings do not kick off training camp announcing they’ve made Jefferson the highest-paid wide receiver in the league, then it’s time to panic.