No Contract, No Problem for Vikings Star WR Justin Jefferson
Unlike many of his peers from the 2020 Draft class, Vikings star WR Justin Jefferson is yet to receive a new contract extension.
However, the lack of contract security with his team hasn’t seemed to faze Jefferson at all. He was present at Vikings minicamp this spring, and he reported to training camp on Tuesday with the rest of teammates.
As should be expected, Jefferson was asked about his extension on Wednesday at the Vikings first training camp practice, and he replied, “That’s not the worry that I have right now. It’s really about winning a Super Bowl, getting the wins, and being with my team.”
Jefferson’s attitude towards this new contract extension is something that should receive massive appreciation from Vikings fans, and his desire to win above all else provides continued hope that Minnesota will one day reach the mountaintop with him on the team.
The 24-year-old receiver has done nothing but continuously prove that he is the very best receiver in the league over his first three NFL seasons. Jefferson has accrued more receptions and receiving yards than any other player through their first three years in the league, and before even stepping on the field, he is already knocking on the door of a fourth year of domination over NFL record books.
Of course, the Vikings accepted Jefferson’s fifth-year option for the 2024 season this spring, meaning they have two more seasons with him before they absolutely have to get him to sign on the dotted line of a new deal. This extra time likely has spelled the urgency for Jefferson as it pertains to his contract.
At the end of the day, the extension is going to happen. Jefferson knows it, and so do the Vikings. Kevin O’Connell spoke on the would-be contract this spring in an interview with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“I don’t know if I’d put a timeline on it,” O’Connell said. “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. 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.”
It is simply a matter of time before the deal gets done, but until that happens, it is very comforting to know that the Vikings star feels comfortable with where he stands with the organization, and that they remain committed to getting a contract worked out.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.