Report: Vikings, Justin Jefferson Have a Contract Extension “On the Table”
One of the biggest topics of not only the Minnesota Vikings offseason, but the entire NFL offseason, has been the looming contract extension for WR Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson has blossomed into a star at the NFL level over his first three seasons, and he could be due to completely reset the WR market with his next contract.
Recently, there has been more steam around this potential contract signing. Last week, a report suggested that the deal could happen before Minnesota’s Week 1 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Then, on Tuesday morning, Dianna Russini of The Athletic tweeted the following: “We have football this week and there are 4 contract extensions on the table for players that are generational talents. Joe Burrow, Nick Bosa, Chris Jones and Justin Jefferson. These are all future Hall-of-Famers that could respectively sign record deals.”
Justin Jefferson’s Contract Extension Could Happen Soon
The Vikings have a number of different contracts to sort out in the next 12 months. They got one off the table last week when T.J. Hockenson signed his massive four-year extension, and now, all eyes are on Jefferson as the regular season approaches.
Jefferson deserves a blank check from the Vikings for what he has done in his first three NFL seasons. Since being selected with the 22nd overall pick in 2020, the wide receiver has been absolutely spectacular.
The 24-year-old receiver has had the most prolific start to his career of any receiver in NFL history in terms of total yardage. His 4825 yards through his first three seasons are easily the most of any player in league history.
If Jefferson keeps up his usual productivity in the fourth year of his career, he will have recorded more yards than any other NFL player through their first four seasons by about Week 7. Currently, Michael Thomas holds the record for most yards for a four-year player at 5512.
The single-season mark of 2000 yards is one that has eluded every receiver to this point, but Jefferson sits poised to attempt to go for the milestone once again this season. If Jefferson does break through and become the first player in NFL history to record 2000 receiving yards in a single season, not only would Jefferson break all the other records listed above, but he would also break the five-year receiving record.
Reminder, 2023 is Jefferson’s fourth NFL season. Currently, the most receiving yards through a player’s first five NFL seasons belongs to Torry Holt, who recorded 6784 yards during his first five years with the St. Louis Rams. Jefferson sits in 41st on that list, 1959 yards behind Holt.
Throughout his young career, Jefferson has been the heart and soul of the Vikings offense. He was one of the biggest reasons why Minnesota was able to win 13 games last season and claim an NFC North crown.
Currently, the NFL’s largest WR contract in terms of average annual value belongs to Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill at $30 million per year. The most practical guaranteed money (per Spotrac) is going to Cooper Kupp at $75 million.
Considering Jefferson’s value to the Vikings franchise, don’t be surprised if both of these numbers are surpassed by the young wide receiver. Hopefully, a deal can get done within the next few days before the regular season opener.
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.