Jan 8, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) warms up wearing a shirt honoring Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin (3) before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
A Justin Jefferson contract extension will get done; it just hasn’t occurred yet — that’s the word out of Eagan from the Minnesota Vikings.
And that message has been consistent all offseason, starting the day after Minnesota lost to the New York Giants in Round 1 of the postseason. Jefferson said he’d “be where he’s wanted,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called a Jefferson agreement “champagne problems,” and now Vikings fans are just waiting for the deal’s consummation.
Jefferson is expected to set a for-now NFL record with the extension, likely tipping the scales at $30 to $35 million per season. So, you know, quarterback money.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talked to Pro Football Talk this week and explained the here and now of Jefferson’s extension talks, “I don’t know if I’d put a timeline on it. I just know that, you know, we very much are looking forward to having Justin play here for a really long time. He has significantly impacted our organization in so many positive ways on and off the field. 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.”
Jefferson led the NFL in receiving yards last year, won the Offensive Player of the Year award, and flirted with breaking Calvin Johnson’s single-season record for receiving yards, too.
“Justin knows, his representation knows exactly how we feel about him. We’ll work through that process here over the rest of this spring on into summer and then if we can get something done nobody will be more excited about it than me and we’ll be looking forward to seeing what Justin does in year two in this offense,” O’Connell added.
The Vikings drafted Jefferson in 2020, and the young wideout already owns more records than a discotheque. 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” marks. The man is elite and perhaps on a legendary path to Hall of Fame stardom with just three years in the books.
Minnesota opted into Jefferson’s fifth-year option for 2024, meaning the wideout is under contract with the Vikings for the next two seasons, no matter what. But when the extension hits, Jefferson should be tied to Minnesota until 2027 or 2028.
Nobody is too fearful Jefferson will depart or that extension talks will snag. O’Connell’s words mentioned nothing of the sort. But at some point, the deal actually has to get done. Otherwise, it’s a bunch of waiting.
Jefferson will turn 24 next month.
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.