The Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson could be further from an extension than initially expected.
The Minnesota Vikings began offseason workouts with a conspicuous absentee: Justin Jefferson.
The star wideout has emerged as one of the best players at his position. He led the NFL in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809) last season. He reached pay dirt eight times and was the favorite target of Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Now, he's looking for a new contract. And there's every reason to believe Minnesota wants to give him one. Disagreements over the amount of guaranteed money, however, could cause those talks to stall.
The Vikings and Justin Jefferson are at an impasse in contract negotiations
According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, the Vikings traditionally prefer to structure their contracts with injury guarantees that don't become fully guaranteed until the year the money is due. The appeal, from a front office perspective, is obvious: it gives them a way out if the player gets hurt.
Last season, however, the organization disregarded tradition and gave Kirk Cousins a massive contract without any such language. Can Minnesota stomach the same risk for Jefferson, who is expected to rival Tyreek Hill's annual average of $30 million to potentially become the highest-paid wide receiver in football?
As one source told Florio: "We'll see."
That's an ominous response, and it probably doesn't instill much confidence in the Vikings fandom. Clearly Jefferson deserves to get paid, and one has to imagine another team will swoop in with a massive offer if the Vikings and Jefferson can't agree to terms.
Jefferson is due $19.7 million in 2024 before hitting free agency. He wants to renegotiate and extend his deal before then, but the Vikings might be willing to wait it out. Jefferson has earned the respect of the franchise — and frankly, not paying the arguable best receiver in football would be completely bonkers — but with Jefferson under contract, Minnesota holds all the cards.
We have seen lengthy contract disputes turn into sudden agreements and massive contracts before: just look at Lamar Jackson and Baltimore. The Vikings will play hard ball, but it's hard to imagine them not eventually forking over a historic contract to Jefferson. Cousins probably doesn't earn his mega-deal without Jefferson there to catch his passes.
