What's the Holdup With the Vikings on a Justin Jefferson Extension?

It seems like a no-brainer for the Vikings to secure the face of their franchise for as long as possible, but it might not be that easy.

July is around the corner and there still hasn't been any news about a contract extension for Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the unquestioned face of their franchise at this moment.

That doesn't mean it's time to be concerned yet; it's still far too early for that. Nonetheless, it's interesting to think about what the holdup might be, what factors both sides may be considering, and how the dynamic could change if a deal doesn't get done this offseason.

The Vikings, to no one's surprise, want to keep Jefferson in a purple uniform for as long as possible. Not only is the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year arguably the best receiver in football, his dominant play and off-the-field personality have made him one of the faces of the league, not just the franchise.

"I don't want to be the Vikings' GM without that guy on our team," Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said earlier this year.

They still have to consider things from a business perspective, though. The Vikings would undoubtedly like to go as long-term as possible on Jefferson's next contract in order to back-load his cap hits and keep him in Minnesota throughout his prime. Because Jefferson is still under contract for two more years, the team can theoretically be patient in their approach.

"Two potential hurdles in the way," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter recently. "He’s only three years into a rookie deal that has two years left with a fifth-year option. There’s no major rush to do it right now. And then the market for receivers, you’re looking at around $30 million or more. Tyreek Hill makes $30 million a year on a big deal, so they might need to make Justin Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. So those are some hurdles, but certainly the Vikings want to do it at some point."

Related: What Might Justin Jefferson's Contract Extension Look Like?

Personally, I wouldn't describe those as hurdles. Those are just the details of the situation, which have been clear since last season ended. It's not news that a Jefferson extension is going to require making the 24-year-old the highest-paid wide receiver of all time.

From Jefferson's perspective, he and his representation will want to maximize the dollar amount and guaranteed money in the deal — while likely pushing for a shorter extension that would let him hit the market again sooner rather than later.

The contract is going to come with the game," Jefferson said this month while mostly deflecting questions on the subject. He said he'll be at training camp even if a new deal hasn't yet been signed at that point.

Again, the Vikings don't have to extend Jefferson this offseason, given that he's under contract for two more years and could even theoretically be franchise tagged for the 2025 season. 

But just like there would be some injury-related risk for Jefferson if he doesn't sign an extension this summer, there would be risk involved with the Vikings waiting to get a deal done. If Jefferson puts up another huge season — and there's no reason to doubt that, given what he's done in his first three — the price is only going to go up. There's also the possibility of Jefferson starting to think about wanting to play somewhere else, whether due to frustration over the Vikings waiting to sign him, a lack of team success in 2023, an uncertain future at quarterback in Minnesota, or some combination of the three.

NBC's Mike Florio wrote about that on Thursday.

There’s plenty of noise out there that the Vikings will wait to extend Jefferson. They could regret it, for a couple of reasons.

For starters, the price is only going to keep going up and up. Every team that has ever waited to sign a great player has ended up spending more to later sign him. Unless, of course, the player suffers a serious injury or loses his fastball. Does anyone think Justin Jefferson is suddenly going to morph into Troy Williamson?

Then there’s the possibility that the foot-dragging will upset the good-natured Jefferson, making him decide that he wants out. That he wants to play elsewhere — like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and A.J. Brown in 2022. Once that bridge is crossed, it’s hard to go back.

The Vikings would like to have Jefferson on their roster for as long as possible, and the best way to ensure that happens is to extend him this offseason. However, it seems like it may not be a simple process for both parties, so it's going to be fascinating to see how this plays out.

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