Kevin O’Connell Remains Steadfast that a Justin Jefferson Deal Will Get Done
One of the major remaining storylines for the Minnesota Vikings revolves around Justin Jefferson’s contract extension.
Despite many other star receivers around the NFL getting massive new deals to remain with their current teams, Minnesota’s WR1 remains unsigned. If that is still the case heading into the 2024 season, he will be scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next March.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell joined Kay Adams on her show, Up and Adams, this week, and he continues to remain steadfast that a deal with Jefferson will get done at some point.
Kevin O’Connell’s Latest Comments on Justin Jefferson
Take a look at what O’Connell had to say:
“I know everything’s gonna get worked out there. Justin knows the love and admiration that I have for him, and he knows he’s such a big part of what we do around here, on and off the field.”
Jefferson has been an absolute superstar virtually ever since he stepped onto an NFL field. He holds the record for most receiving yards through a player’s first four NFL seasons despite the fact that he missed seven games during the 2023 season. He also has put up over 1000 yards in each of his first four seasons, which makes him just the fifth player in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
In all likelihood, a deal will get done between Jefferson and the Vikings this summer. Jefferson has stated that he wants to “break the bank” with his next contract, but in the same vein, he also expressed plenty of gratitude for the Vikings being the team to take a chance on him.
Ultimately, a deal being done sooner than later will be the best for Minnesota. Jefferson already is expected to sit out of much of the spring workouts because of this contract situation, and if a deal doesn’t get done soon, that absence could bleed into mandatory minicamp and training camp.
That would be less of a concern if Kirk Cousins was still the quarterback in Minnesota seeing as the two had four years of chemistry to work off of. However, the Vikings will be rolling into the fall with one of Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback in 2024.
Less practice time with the new QBs will result in a lack of chemistry heading into the regular season, and the Vikings likely will be without T.J. Hockenson for a portion of the year because of his ACL injury suffered last December.
Still, it appears that the Vikings remain confident that a deal will happen for their star receiver. For now, Vikings fans simply will have to trust that this is indeed the case.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Stathead.
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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.