With big money comes big responsibility and Justin Jefferson is ready for it
"Finally back. Definitely excited to be back," Justin Jefferson said Tuesday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, one day after he agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension. The money says he's the best at his position in the NFL and it also demands he become the alpha leader on a Vikings team that is looking to replace the leadership of Kirk Cousins.
"Being the leader of this team and carrying myself a different way, I'm going to be on everyone's butt. I'm going to be on everyone hard and make sure that I'm the leader of this team and we're working to where we want to go, which is a world championship," Jefferson said.
The 24-year-old's new contract will pay him a reported $110 million guaranteed and $35 million per season, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. For Jefferson, the money was only important as far as it making it clear that he's the best receiver in the league.
"I always preached it, the money never was a big thing for me. It was mostly about just solidifying myself as the top receiver in the league," Jefferson said. "It's more to it than just the money for me. I want to be the best player to ever do it."
He's off to a good start. Through four seasons, including a 2023 season that saw him miss seven games due to a hamstring injury, Jefferson has amassed 392 receptions for 5,899 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell called Jefferson the "heart and soul of our team on a daily basis."
"He means the world to that locker room," O'Connell said. "He's a people changer, he's a culture changer and he's everything about what we want this organization to be about."
"I definitely wll be that main person that he can lean on," he said, noting that McCarthy should have "extra confidence by throwing me the ball."
Jefferson, who said he never doubted that a contract would "come eventually," believes in the path forward for the Vikings, which includes developing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, will lead to significant success.
"I feel like we're on a great path, just with locking me in for five more years. I've been telling all of them, they're going to get the best out of me," he said. "Just getting everybody on that same goal, on that same mindset to have that confidence every time we step on the field."
"It starts now," Jefferson added. "We all have to be on the same page and it starts with me just getting the guys ready."
JOE NELSON