ESPN: Vikings Want New Justin Jefferson Contract; May Have to Make WR Top-Paid Non-QB

The Minnesota Vikings want to sign Justin Jefferson to a long-term contract extension in the future.

They're just not feeling the urgency at the moment.

"Could be big money on the way at some point. The Vikings believe that he's a cornerstone player, the best receiver in the league. They want to sign him to an extension at some point," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. "Two potential hurdles in the way, though. He's only three years into a rookie deal that has two years left with a fifth-year option, so not in a major rush to do it right now. And then the market for receivers, you're looking at around $30 million or more. Tyreek Hill makes $30 million a year on a big deal but they might need to make Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. So, those are some hurdles but certainly the Vikings want to do this at some point. Jefferson is expected at training camp regardless."

Jefferson will make $2.4 million during the 2023 season in the fourth year of his rookie contract. His fifth-year option will pay him an estimated $19.7 million in 2024.

Aside from placating Jefferson, there's no logical basis in the Vikings extending Jefferson before this season. His cap hold is $4.2 million. No matter what cap gymnastics the team pulls off in negotiations, there's no way they're going to reach a deal that lowers his cap number for the 2023 season.

The more logical move would be to wait until next offseason, when Jefferson will count for $19.7 million on the cap. Minnesota could easily find a way to make Jefferson the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver while also artificially lowering his cap hold for at least the 2024 and 2025 seasons and design the deal so it can be restructured in the future.

Tyreek Hill's four-year, $120 million contract with the Miami Dolphins will be the jumping off point in negotiations, and Jefferson won't even turn 25 years old until next June. There's reason to believe he could seek to blow Hill's $30 million annual salary out of the water and reset the wideout market himself. It would not be outrageous for him to ask for $35 million a year as a starting point, which would make him by far the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

"[Negotiations] happen every single year," Jefferson told reporters. "It's not something that's new towards the game. Eventually, we knew we were going to have to talk contract."

The dollar figures involved in this deal—along with the looming specter of quarterback Kirk Cousins' free agency next offseason—make the 2023 season an intriguing one for the Vikings offense.

Jefferson has committed to showing up for camp, and he has little reason to fear injury. He's young and arguably the NFL's best receiver; even if he were to suffer a major injury, the Vikings and 31 other NFL teams would still be lining up with a Brinks truck.