How Much Will It Cost to Extend Justin Jefferson?
Free agency wound down in March, the Minnesota Vikings completed a mighty draft in April, and May might be about Justin Jefferson’s contract extension.
How Much Will It Cost to Extend Justin Jefferson?
Jefferson’s representation and the Vikings’ front office have strived toward an extension for about 16 months, and most believe the finality of an agreement is right around the bend.
And thanks to Sportrac, the value of Jefferson’s would-be extension is clearer. That site calculates Jefferson’s calculated market value at $32.5 million per season while spitballing that Minnesota will likely award the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year a deal for four years and $140 million.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote last week, “The modern-day GOAT now knows who the next QB in Minnesota will be. Is a historic extension for JJ next on the Vikings’ to-do list? It’s perfectly plausible that Jefferson and his camp would rather wait for CeeDee Lamb and/or Ja’Marr Chase to lock in their own deals before finalizing his own numbers, but neither of those scenarios seem close to their respective finish lines.”
Jefferson will receive passes from a new man this year after Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons in March. Either Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy will take the QB1 baton in September. Securing Jefferson for the long haul will help McCarthy’s development when the young passer is ready for regular season action.
Ginnitti concluded, “Adding 4 years and $140M to his current $19.7M guaranteed salary for 2024 seems like a logical floor here.”
Jefferson knows a deal is coming, too. He said at the Super Bowl’s radio row in February about his future in Minnesota, “I want to break the bank, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants me and really gives me what I deserve. I feel like eventually, the Vikings will do what they need to do to have me in the building but I don’t really know at this moment. Only time will tell. I feel like I have the right people in my circle to negotiate and to do what’s right, and I feel like this whole process of how we handle things, I feel like we did a great job with it.”
Meanwhile, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hinted after April’s draft that an extension was close. He said: “You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We’re excited to work towards it. We’re going to keep going. You can’t have all these plans when you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we’re going to keep working toward that end goal.”
Jefferson holds the NFL record for most receiving yards through a player’s first four seasons — by a mile — despite battling a hamstring injury in 2023.
He’ll turn 25 next month.
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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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