O'Connell on Jefferson Contract Situation: 'Everything's Gonna Get Worked Out'

Kevin O'Connell is confident the Vikings will get a deal done with Justin Jefferson.

Sep 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell with wide receiver Justin Jefferson / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The one big remaining task for the Vikings to complete this offseason, from a front office standpoint, is to get a record-breaking contract extension done for superstar wide receiver and face of the franchise Justin Jefferson. Until it happens, it'll be a topic of discussion and anxiety within a jaded fan base that doesn't want to lose a guy with the potential to go down as an all-time great. But even if it might take some time, head coach Kevin O'Connell says he isn't worried about it.

"I know everything's gonna get worked out there," O'Connell told Kay Adams. "Justin knows the love and admiration that I have for him, and he knows he's such a big part of what we do around here. That's on the field, that's off the field, (he) brings such a great energy to our building every single day and he's the ultra-competitor as far as when he steps between the white lines, very few people are able to do what he's able to do, but it's how he goes about his business, how he works, how he pushes his teammates to get better."

Jefferson, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 draft, is off to the best statistical start to a career by any wide receiver in NFL history. He has 5,899 receiving yards in 60 career regular season games, a 98.3 yards per game average that is easily the best in league history. Among other players with at least 200 career receptions, Calvin Johnson is second on the list at 86.1 receiving yards per game. Jefferson, the 2022 NFL offensive player of the year, is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. His new deal is expected to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, which would mean an average annual value of at least $35 million.

Unless a deal gets done soon, the earliest Jefferson reports to Vikings offseason activities would likely be mandatory minicamp in June. But it sounds like this might get done closer to the start of the regular season, according to ESPN insider Dan Graziano.

“That deal will take time," Graziano said. "Obviously, it could happen any minute, but there's a number of reasons to think it might take until closer to the season. The Vikings have a policy with their signing bonuses where July 31 is kind of a key date, and they might want to wait until after that. And think about the agent, Brian Ayrault, who represents Justin Jefferson. Last year, he represented Joe Burrow and Nick Bosa. Burrow (is) now the highest-paid player in the league, Bosa the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Those deals got done pretty close to the start of the (2023) regular season. So I would preach patience on the Justin Jefferson deal."

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