Report: Vikings, Justin Jefferson camp 'optimistic a huge deal gets done'
Justin Jefferson appears to be on the verge of becoming the richest wide receiver in NFL history as there are now multiple reports saying talks are progressing. The latest comes from Diana Russini of The Athletic, who reported Tuesday that there is optimism for a "huge deal."
"Both sides have traded proposals on the deal. I’m told by a league source conversations are going well but it’s not done yet," writes Russini. "This is all happening while the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year has never missed a practice during training camp, all optimistic a huge deal gets done."
Russini's report comes less than 24 hours after Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said the Vikings are "making an effort" to get Jefferson signed to an extension "before the season starts."
That could mean a Jefferson contract extension could come within two weeks. The Vikings open the 2023-24 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
How big will the extension be? The 15 highest-paid players in the NFL are quarterbacks, followed by Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Here are the 20 highest-paid players based on average annual value, according to OverTheCap.
- Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers: $52.5m
- Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens: $52m
- Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles: $51m
- Russell Wilson, QB, Broncos: $49m
- Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals: $46.1m
- Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns: $46m
- Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs: $45m
- Josh Allen, QB, Bills: $43m
- Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys: $40m
- Matt Stafford, QB, Rams: $40m
- Daniel Jones, QB, Giants: $40m
- Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets: $37.5m
- Derek Carr, QB, Saints: $37.5m
- Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings: $35m
- Jared Goff, QB, Lions: $33.5m
- Aaron Donald, DT, Rams: $31.6m
- Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins: $30m
- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans: $29.5m
- T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers: $28m
- Davante Adams, WR, Raiders: $28m
If Jefferson becomes the highest paid non-quarterback he could very well be earning nearly as much -- or maybe as much or more -- as his quarterback in Minnesota. That shouldn't bee too shocking considering Jefferson, not Cousins, was a finalist for the MVP award last season.
Jefferson, 24, won the offensive player of the year award after hauling in 128 passes for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns. Through three seasons in the NFL he has 324 receptions for 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.