Price of Justin Jefferson Extension Comes into View
Among several offseason to-do list items for the Minnesota Vikings is finally securing Justin Jefferson for the long-term.
Price of Justin Jefferson Extension Comes into View
NFL media has run wild with trade theories regarding the 24-year-old, but in the end, those will be rendered hollow, and Jefferson will sign with the Vikings for the long haul.
And thanks to the Pioneer Press, Jefferson’s would-be price tag may be clearer this week, with about one month to go before the 2024 NFL Draft, when Minnesota is expected to select Jefferson’s next quarterback somewhere in Round 1.
Pioneer Press’ Charley Walters wrote last weekend about Jefferson’s impending cost, “The Vikings drafting a QB will be very affordable for three years, allowing the team the anticipated $150 million deal for receiver Justin Jefferson.”
The contract would feature over $75 million guaranteed and span five years, connecting the ultra-productive wideout to the Vikings’ roster until the end of 2029. Minnesota’s front office and Jefferson’s representation have worked for over a year to nail down the terms of a deal, but to date, nothing has finalized.
Jefferson said at the Super Bowl’s radio row in February, “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.”
He also added on the same day, “I’m definitely grateful for what Minnesota has done for me. I definitely wouldn’t be in this situation if they didn’t pick me, to be the fifth receiver taken. With everything that has happened and everything I have gave to the organization, of course, I would want to stay.”
At the 2024 NFL Combine, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said about Jefferson’s extension talks, “We’ve said it, and we’ll continue to say it — we think he’s the best wide receiver in the league and should be compensated as such. We think he’s one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league. I think he should be compensated as such. So we’ll continue to have those dialogues, those conversations.”
The young executive also opined, “I think people forget, deals rarely happen after three years, and there’s a reason. Two years left, there’s uncertainty that somebody’s gotta hold. Either the club’s gotta hold or the player’s gotta hold. There’s new money, old money. How do you look at contracts? Those are very hard conversations to have, so a lot of them don’t get done. We got unbelievably close.”
Adofo-Mensah, along with head coach Kevin O’Connell, have also swatted away trade rumors pertaining to Jefferson in the two months. O’Connell also said in February that trading Jefferson was ridiculous. He told PFT Live, “Let me dissect it for you. We have had zero discussions, dialogue about that, either internally, externally, on this planet or another planet.”
So, Walters’ reporting of a $150 million deal over five years aligns with the Vikings front office’s previous comments, at least per keeping the man in-house for the foreseeable future.
Jefferson will turn 25 in June.
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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