Vikings Reach Insanity Point of Summer — Jefferson as ‘System WR’
The Minnesota Vikings are supposed to win 8.5 games this season, a regression from the 13-4 campaign in 2022.
That’s the forecast from oddsmakers and pundits, a bizarre prognosis for a team that thrived in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s first season.
Vikings Reach Insanity Point of Summer — Jefferson as ‘System WR’
And if that’s not enough for wackiness, the Vikings summer reached an insanity point this week. Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson was labeled a ‘system wide receiver.’
On CBS radio, the Maggie & Perloff Show, Andrew Perloff dropped the Jeffersonian take, “I think he’s awesome, but I do think he’s a bit of a system guy, so No. 2 on this list makes no sense,” the man opined.
Jefferson pulled down the ranking of the NFL’s second-best player from NFL Network’s annual ‘NFL Top 100.’ Perloff evidently had beef with the list.
Perloff continued, “I love Justin Jefferson, but he’s definitely a product of Kirk Cousins and that offense. He’s a bit of a system guy.”
Usually, folks spin the duo the other way, insisting Cousins is only prolific because ‘he has Justin Jefferson’ at his disposal. Jefferson as a product of Kirk is a brave new — and zany — world.
After three seasons in the business, Jefferson has now been universally accepted as the sport’s best wide receiver, solidified by the OPOY award in 2022, the advancing age of previous title-holders Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams, and then his ‘NFL Top 100’ recognition (only trailing Patrick Mahomes for the NFL’s top overall spot).
Jefferson is expected to fetch a $30-$35 million per-season contract extension soon and make the 24-year-old the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. He’s that damn good, and Perloff may be the only human in the United States touting Cousins’ superiority to the LSU alumnus. It just doesn’t make sense.
On Thursday, Vikings owner Mark Wilf answered questions from reporters and was predictably asked about Justin Jefferson’s would-be contract extension. He didn’t hold back.
“Everyone is working together on this contract,” Wilf replied.
Contract talks between Jefferson and the Vikings have persisted all offseason. “We are certainly aware of the magnitude of this one. We are certainly aware, certainly involved. Justin Jefferson, we want him to stay as a Minnesota Viking,” Wilf concluded.
And according to Perloff, the Vikings will ink a system guy for the long haul when the deal is finalized.
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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