Cap Expert Describes Jefferson Extension, Using Words like “Historic,” “Obliterate,” and “Absolutely Gigantic”
The Justin Jefferson extension has certainly created some reactions.
The NFL’s best wide receiver is going to be a Viking for the next five years. Being able to attach him to the roster for so long involved Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sending over a four-year agreement that promises to pay a staggering $140 million. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap — one of the online authorities on the NFL cap — offered his assessment of the deal recently.
The Jefferson Extension and the OTC Assessment
The critical context in Minnesota is that Adofo-Mensah is marrying the timeline for Jefferson’s deal with J.J. McCarthy’s deal. In theory, the pair will be working in tandem since the Vikings will be getting artificially-cheap play at QB as the WR’s money soars.
Fitzgerald, though, was less concerned about that team-specific context and more interested in dissecting how Jefferson’s deal fits within the broader landscape of receiver extensions.
The word “obliterate” comes up in Fitzgerald’s assessment, which tells us something. In comparison to other receivers, Jefferson is sitting at the top by a large amount.
“The Vikings and WR Justin Jefferson agreed on a historic four year, $140 million contract today that really creates on the rare true market moving contracts,” Fitzgerald describes, “something we have not really seen at the receiver position since the days of Larry Fitzgerald in his prime.”
The cap expert goes on to assess some of the deals from players like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle, and A.J. Brown. And then there’s the proclamation about where Jefferson fits in: “The cash flows on this one obliterate any of the current market deals.”
Fitzgerald sees the difference between the other receivers’ deals and Jefferson’s as being “absolutely gigantic” since Minnesota’s WR1 is involved in a “23.2% market increase.”
Not too long afterwards, Fitzgerald considers the guarantees in Jefferson’s deal while insisting that Nick Bosa — the San Francisco edge rusher — is the contract comparable for Minnesota’s young wide receiver.
Basing things off of Bosa rather than other receivers has some implications: “So this is truly a contract that exceeds the market by far more than people realize and values Jefferson in line with a totally different group of players.”
A major part of the reason for Jefferson landing such insane value is due to his historic production: “Jefferson’s numbers since he came into the league really blow away the rest of the league. In his four years in the NFL he has averaged 98.3 yards per game. Tyreek Hill is the only other player over 90 yards (92.7) over that timeframe. Chase is at 82.6. Lamb at 78.”
Justin Jefferson is still only 25. In fact, his birthday took place over the weekend, arriving on Sunday, June 16th.
In other words, the man may still be getting better. If he does, he’ll do so while wearing the Vikings’ purple and gold. Oh, and he’ll be well paid while he continues improving his game.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.