The Minnesota Vikings may soon reshape the market at the number two spot with a deal for wide receiver Justin Jefferson, having recently signed tight end T.J. Hockenson to a historic extension.
On Saturday, April 6, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine predicted that wide receiver Jeff Jefferson would not only earn the largest contract in NFL history for a wide receiver, but also surpass the previous record by $30 million in total value when he signs a five-year deal worth $170 million over the summer.
If the Vikings want to strengthen their squad, they should consider offering Jefferson a contract that may significantly impact the market. Over the next few seasons, they will have more cap room because of their split with Kirk Cousins.
Money isn’t the main concern. The Vikings are qualified to provide that. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep an eye on the quarterback situation. The team may have to wait for Jefferson to commit until he sees who will be giving him the ball because it is moving on from Cousins.
With his next contract, Justin Jefferson has a good chance of breaking every wide receiver contract in the NFL.
Early in March, ESPN’s Dan Graziano revealed that Jefferson is almost certain to break the record for highest-paid wide receiver in league history.
When Jefferson signs, Graziano said that he would “certainly set the top of the receiver market, and his deal is certain to pay him more than $30 million per year.” “How much more is the question.”
In March 2022, Davante Adams inked a five-year contract worth a total of $140 million ($28 million per year) with the Las Vegas Raiders. This is still the highest amount ever associated with a receiver deal. Only days later, wide receiver Tyreek Hill signed a $120 million contract worth four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, making it the biggest average yearly salary any wideout has ever received from an NFL team.
Ballentine estimated that Jefferson will sign a five-year contract of $170 million, which would put the former All-Pro player for the Vikings $30 million richer overall and $4 million richer annually ($34 million annually) than Hill’s contract in South Florida.
Securing the highest total guaranteed money of any receiver in history is another, and possibly more significant, way that Jefferson can create history. In June 2022, Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams signed a three-year, $80.1 million contract with a $75 million guarantee.
Just looking at the whole amount alone, it is almost a given that Jefferson, should he sign the deal that Ballentine anticipated, will come with guarantees totaling over $75 million. In the current context of contract negotiations, NFL players at all positions want higher guaranteed money, and Cousins, Jefferson’s former colleague, has been one of the most successful players in this area over the past ten years.
Because the Vikings don’t have a franchise quarterback, Justin Jefferson has even more negotiating power.
Jefferson likely doesn’t need any more leverage to get a historic deal from Minnesota after being a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro in just four seasons. Nevertheless, Cousins has been able to afford some thanks to his free agency departure to the Atlanta Falcons and the Vikings’ position in the draft later this month.
In an attempt to move up the board into the top five and select a franchise quarterback, Minnesota has the right to select Nos. 11 and 23, which the team may bundle with a future first-round selection. The Vikings can attempt to come to a deal with potential trade suitors such as the New England Patriots (ranked No. 3), Arizona Cardinals (ranked No. 4), and Los Angeles Chargers (ranked No. 5).
Although it is currently unknown who Minnesota would take first, according to multiple ESPN insiders’ mock drafts, J.J. McCarthy of Michigan and Drake Maye of North Carolina are the most likely to be available in the picks Nos. 3-5 range.
The public is also unaware of Jefferson’s preferences, but it defies logic to think that the Vikings front office and coaching staff won’t at the very least confer with Jefferson before selection night on April 26.
