Vikings Remain Unwaveringly Committed to Face of Franchise
Dustin Baker
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While much uncertainty exists about who the Minnesota Vikings will draft in three weeks or how long quarterback Kirk Cousins will remain with the franchise, one item is unwavering — the Vikings long-term commitment to wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota scooped Jefferson from the 1st Round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and gloriousness has ensued since. The LSU alumnus leads the NFL in receiving yards since turning pro and routinely makes Vikings fans giggle at the Stefon Diggs trade that once caused heartburn.
Vikings Remain Unwaveringly Committed to Face of Franchise
Jefferson is a football team’s dream — young, charismatic, and the best on the planet at his craft. The man even nibbled at single-season receiving yards records in 2022, just his third year in the league.
Accordingly, the Vikings are absolutely steadfast and committed to keeping Jefferson glued to the franchise indefinitely. They’ve never wavered when asked about Jefferson’s upcoming contract extension.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell gave an extensive interview to The Athletic this week, and when asked about Jefferson’s looming extension, the message was familiar, “There’s no question. All of our organization is excited about having Justin Jefferson on our team for a really long time. Knowing what that’s going to mean from a numbers standpoint and all those things is one thing, and that will all work itself out.”
“It’s the goal of having him as the legitimate best receiver in football on our team for as long as we can possibly have him. I think that’s really important,” O’Connell opined, leaving nothing to the imagination.
And O’Connell’s words are merely a continuation of the Vikings mindset all offseason, starting with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The young executive said in January, just two days after his club was prematurely bounced from the playoffs, that anything contract-related to Jefferson was champagne problems.
“I wouldn’t use the word challenge. You got a special player, a special person. Those aren’t problems. Or at least those are champagne problems,” Adofo-Mensah replied about the possible financial challenge of granting Jefferson a mammoth extension.
He continued on the topic, “So, we’ll start there. We’ve had initial dialogue with him, his agent. All those things we get back to that in the planning, but again it really starts from the player, the person, and we’ll work on solutions from there on.”
A couple of days before Adofo-Mensah’s thoughts on the contract extension, Jefferson confirmed his desire to stay with the Vikings for the long haul, “I will be wherever I’m wanted. If they want me here, I’m here.”
For most of the 2022 season, Jefferson pursued 2,000 receiving yards as an attainable goal, set the Vikings single-season record for receiving yards, the record for receptions, and has shattered every “through first three seasons” and “through xx games of career” mark. The man is mind-boggling.
Jefferson also won the Offensive Player of the Year award last year and briefly flirted with fringe MVP consideration.
Minnesota has many unresolved matters twisting in the wind — the NFL draft, trade rumors regarding Dalvin Cook and Za’Darius Smith, limited cap space, and some roster depth concerns, to name a few — but getting a deal completed with Jefferson doesn’t seem too mysterious.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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