It stands to reason that rumors involving wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings are going to pick up steam in the weeks to come. Jefferson heads into the 2024 season in the final year of his contract with the Vikings and the two sides have not worked out a new deal yet.
Both Jefferson and the Vikings have said many complimentary things about each other. Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell would like to see Jefferson to remain with the Vikings in 2025 and the years to come. He is heading into his fifth season with the Vikings and he has been sensational for them.
He is clearly the best player on the team, and he would like to become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
NFL insider Mike Lombardi appeared on Pat McAfee's program last week and he said that if the Vikings had been able to move up in the Draft and select LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, they “probably would have traded Justin Jefferson.”
Vikings reporter Alec Lewis covers the team for The Athletic, and he criticized the report as being irresponsible. He said pronouncements like the one Lombardi made are easy to get away with in the current environment.
“You can just say anything in this media environment, and no matter who you are someone will believe it and give it life, and there will be no repercussions for being totally wrong. What a time.”
Jefferson rumors likely to get stronger until a new deal is completed
Jefferson is clearly one of the best receivers in the game and he has demonstrated that he is capable of making huge plays on a consistent basis for the Vikings. He combines speed, athleticism, tremendous hands and moves, and his ability to make the contested catch may be without peer.
The Vikings have parted company with quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter, so it is quite clear that Jefferson is the best player on the team at this point. The Vikings are trying to remain competitive despite those two personnel losses because they drafted rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and defensive end Dallas Turner.
It seems certain that if they are going to have a chance at a successful season, they need to have Jefferson in the fold. The Vikings have a mandatory minicamp scheduled to start on Tuesday, and the ideal situation would be to have Jefferson in camp with a new contract at that point.
While that may not be likely, it would not be the end of the world. If Jefferson does not have a new contract and misses minicamp, but has a new contract by the start of training camp, that would be an excellent development.
Barring that, the Vikings need to get Justin Jefferson under contract before the start of the season. The last thing the team and Vikings fans want to see is Jefferson playing the 2024 season without a new contract. That would likely mean that all the good feelings between the superstar player and the team will disappear.
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