Suddenly, Justin Jefferson’s Contract Looks a Little Different
Justin Jefferson’s contract extension arrived after much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The best receiver in the NFL was eligible to sign a new deal following his third NFL season but had to wait until after his fourth. All along, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell spoke openly about how committed they were to the deal, doing their best to assuage outside concerns. True to their word, the Vikings’ top decision makers got things done. Jefferson is now playing on a four-year extension that promises to pay $140,000,000.
Justin Jefferson’s Contract & The Recent Wide Receiver Deals
If anyone deserved to get the huge raise, it was Jefferson.
Somehow, we’re talking about a playmaker who is still only 25. Snagged at No. 22 in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jefferson has been a four-time Pro Bowl pick, a two-time first-team All Pro, a two-time second-team All Pro, a recipient of the Offensive Player of the Year Award, the runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and a runner-up for Most Valuable Player.
Most recently, Justin Jefferson turned 154 targets into 103 catches, 1,533 yards, and 10 touchdowns with Sam Darnold tossing the pigskin. He has never been held below 1,000 receiving yards in a season, even the one where he missed seven full games due to injury (2023).
On a per-year basis, Jefferson is averaging $35 million. That was the top number until the recent news dropped.
Consider what Tom Pelissero had to say about Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins: “The expected news is now official: Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have agreed to the four-year deals that were done on Friday. Chase gets $161 million. Higgins gets $115M. Joe Burrow gets his wish, with both receivers locked up for the long haul.”
Go ahead and do a bit of math to see the per-year average. Chase, a sensational receiver, lands a deal averaging $40,250,000 (more than $5M more than Jefferson). Higgins, meanwhile, lands a deal averaging $28,750,000, coming in below Jefferson’s average by a decent bit.
Keep in mind that Chase and Jefferson were teammates at LSU.
No question, Chase is one of the NFL’s top playmakers, a feared weapon whom defenses need to account for on a play-by-play basis. Pretty much every DC who sees the Bengals on the schedule is going to begin by thinking about ways to disrupt the connection between Joe Burrow and Chase (Higgins, too).
Does that really mean he deserves a contract that comes in a clear step ahead of Justin Jefferson’s contract?
Somehow, Jefferson’s deal looks like it could age well despite reaching heights that are usually kept for quarterbacks. The team’s WR1 — and, truth be told, the NFL’s foremost receiver — is now playing on a deal that’s below what someone else is getting at the same position (and by quite a bit). Minnesota, in short, may look back and conclude that they did well with the Jefferson deal.
Even better, at least from the Vikings’ perspective, is that Justin Jefferson’s running mate is still playing on a value deal. Jordan Addison is moving into his third NFL season, meaning he’s still working on his rookie deal, one that carries a $3,745,019 cap charge in 2025. The Jefferson/Addison duo is thus looking pretty good, all things considered.
Presumably, J.J. McCarthy is next up to partner with Justin Jefferson. If the QB & WR develop strong chemistry, then Jefferson’s deal will age very well.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Vikings Host Former First-Rounder
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.