The latest Justin Jefferson injury update is that the superstar wide receiver is on injured reserve and out for at least four weeks. This is a brutal blow for the Minnesota Vikings, who are fighting to salvage their 2023 season at 1-4. Things could get even worse, though, as some believe the WR’s return will depend as much on the Justin Jefferson contract situation as it will on his health.

“Here’s the other unspoken issue that could potentially lengthen Justin Jefferson’s absence,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter tweeted on Tuesday. “If the Vikings don’t win games and stay competitive, what is Jefferson’s incentive to rush back when he did not land the contract he wanted? His absence could last longer than expected.”

With Jefferson on IR, the team now knows they will not have him for games against the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Atlanta Falcons. Three out of four of those are winnable games. However, with the way the team is playing this season, 2-7 or even 1-8 after that stretch is not out of the question.

Jefferson coming back to a 2-7 versus a 4-5 team are two wildly different scenarios.

Right now, Tyreek Hill is on a four-year, $120 million contract, and his $30 million per season makes him the highest-paid WR in the league. The next Justin Jefferson contract will eclipse that, but with this injury, the 2020 No. 22 overall pick has to be careful.

In addition to the injury concern, Jefferson is also weary of the quarterback situation going forward for the Vikings. Kirk Cousins is 35 and in the last year of his own contract. One of the reasons a Jefferson deal hasn’t gotten done yet is that he wants to see who his QB will be in the future.

While all this plays out, Schefter is right, and there is a good chance we won’t see the best WR in the NFL for a while now.