An Encouraging Update on the Justin Jefferson Contract Front
Should fans be concerned about the fact that the Vikings and superstar Justin Jefferson haven't yet gotten a contract extension done? ESPN's Kevin Seifert doesn't think so. Writing about the situation, Seifert said "none of this should be worrying."
The Vikings are not playing hardball, and Jefferson has no reluctance about playing in Minnesota, multiple sources said during the 2023 season.
The gist of Seifert's article is that these negotiations are understandably taking a while due to the unique nature of what Jefferson is looking for. He's off to the best four-year start to a career of any wide receiver in NFL history, so the minimum requirement would seem to be making him the highest-paid non-quarterback ever (which would require exceeding Nick Bosa's $34 million average annual value). The question is how high Jefferson hopes to go on that AAV number.
Jefferson's responses to questions over the past few months suggest he is seeking something beyond the standard incremental market raise.
Florio: Contract 'Structure' is Sticking Point With Vikings, Justin Jefferson
Nonetheless, it still sounds like all signs point to a deal getting done eventually — and that will be true regardless of what the Vikings do at the quarterback position. Jefferson has said that he wants Kirk Cousins back, but he's also not going to suddenly demand a trade if Cousins signs elsewhere. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported recently that Jefferson just wants to know the team's plan at QB before signing. Seifert wrote that "the unsettled nature of the position has not been a central focus of the talks."
The bottom line is that this is no ordinary contract negotiation. There's no precedent for what Jefferson — who turns 25 this summer — has already accomplished. He's one of the best players in the NFL and one of the faces of the league, so it probably shouldn't be too surprising that it's taking some time for the two sides to reach an agreement. Unless something changes, the expectation is still that it'll get done at some point before the 2024 regular season begins.
None of this should be worrying. The Vikings have traded away two of the best receivers in franchise history — Randy Moss (2005) and Stefon Diggs (2020) — but there are no indications that they are even remotely considering it with Jefferson. And it's not surprising that a player of Jefferson's caliber has established expectations in the most ambitious terms imaginable, especially at a time when an agreement would likely cover the prime of his career.
The odds remain in favor of an eventual agreement, but there really shouldn't be much mystery or speculation about why there has been no deal to this point. It's all out there in front of us.
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