The Minnesota Vikings are trying to sign superstar wideout Justin Jefferson to a new contract extension, but they've yet to do so. That means Jefferson could hold out until he gets a bag and his latest move on Monday hinted at it.
The pass-catcher didn't show up to organized team activities, via Adam Schefter:
“WR Justin Jefferson, who has been in talks with the Vikings regarding a contract extension, was not spotted at the team’s training facility today for the start of organized team activities, per team sources.”
For what it's worth, GM Kwefi Adofo-Mensah said only a few weeks ago that he does believe Jefferson will stay put for the foreseeable future. Per ESPN:
“We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The process is still ongoing. We did say, ‘Hey, [let's pause] a couple days.' The draft's coming. They have players they represent. We have our process.
“Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week. You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We're excited to work towards it. We're going to keep going. You can't have all these plans when you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we're going to keep working toward that end goal.”
Justin Jefferson worth every penny for Vikings
It's been more than a year since Jefferson and the Vikings had started talking about a fresh deal and Adofo-Mensah said the sides got very close before the 2023 season.
Numerous other elite WRs signed new contracts this summer, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Rashod Bateman. Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the sport and he deserves to be paid what he's worth.
While last year was a bit of a down season due to a hamstring injury, he surpassed 100 catches in 2021 and 2022 and has been Minny's WR1 for a while now. He was brilliant after returning in Week 15, registering nearly 500 yards.
Justin Jefferson will play in the final year of his rookie deal worth around $19 million in 24′, but you better believe the Vikings do not want to let him hit free agency next offseason, so getting him locked up sooner rather than later is undoubtedly the priority.
Jefferson has never finished with less than 1,000 yards receiving in an NFL season, showing exactly why he deserves to probably be the highest-paid WR in the league. That means over guys like St. Brown and AJ Brown.
On an appearance on Up And Adams last week, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell didn't sound too worried about Jefferson's contract situation:
“I know everything's going to get worked out there,” O'Connell said. “Justin knows the love and admiration that I have for him, and he knows he's such a big part of what we do around here.”
Justin Jefferson also skipped voluntary workouts this spring. Stay tuned for more updates on the 24-year-old.
Follow Us
Subscribe
