Vikings reportedly 'pretty motivated' to give Justin Jefferson 'market-altering deal'

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided a contract update on SportsCenter on Saturday.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) scores a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field in Detroit on Jan. 7, 2024. / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Could a Justin Jefferson extension be coming soon? 

The Vikings are “pretty motivated” to get the star wide receiver signed to a long-term contract, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who provided an update to the contract negotiations on SportsCenter on Saturday. Fowler said the massive deal should get done this summer. 

“This is going to be a market-altering deal when it does happen with Minnesota. I’m told the Vikings are pretty motivated here. They want to try and get something done, they’ve been in active discussions with Jefferson and his representation,” Fowler said. “So this could not only be making him the highest-paid wide receiver, but the highest-paid non-quarterback, potentially.

“Nick Bosa makes $34 million a year. We’ll see if he can get to that threshold, but this should get done at some point in the coming weeks and months this summer, that’s the Vikings’ goal, so they’re pretty dedicated to doing it.” 

That’s been the expectation for quite some time. Jefferson has long been expected to reset the wide receiver market — a market that’s already been reset twice this offseason. 

Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a four-year, $120 million to briefly become the league’s highest-paid wide receiver. Not long after on the night of the NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles made A.J. Brown the highest-paid receiver with a three-year, $96 million extension. 

That’s an average of $32 million per year. It's almost a certainty that Jefferson’s extension will go above that benchmark, the question being how much larger the deal will be.

It certainly doesn’t seem to be a stretch that Jefferson could get $35 million per year to surpass Bosa as the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Time will tell if that becomes the case.

Jefferson has put together a stellar start to his young career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons. That included last season, when Jefferson still surpassed the 1,000-yard mark despite missing seven games. Jefferson’s 5,899 receiving yards are the most for a player through the first four years of their career, well ahead of Michael Thomas (5,512) and Randy Moss (5,396).