Where Justin Jefferson's Historic NFL Contract Ranks Among Top NFL, NBA and MLB Stars
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reset the market and then some.
The team announced Monday it agreed to an extension with the three-time Pro Bowler. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he can earn up to $140 million over four years with $110 million guaranteed.
Many expected Jefferson to break the bank whenever he signed his next contract. The receiver position is seeing a steady rise in earnings, and the 24-year-old has been one of the NFL's most consistent pass-catchers since arriving in 2020.
Here's how his new deal compares to his peers in the NFL and the top stars in the NBA and MLB.
Highest-Paid NFL Players
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to lead the way by some distance in terms of overall value. His $450 million pact is well ahead of the next closest player, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ($275 million).
Burrow is ahead in annual salary, though. His five-year extension with Cincinnati averages out to $55 million.
Jefferson does, however, become the highest-paid non-QB in the league, and stacking him up against his fellow wideouts is where his contract sets him apart.
The Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown now becomes the second-highest-paid receiver with an average salary of $32 million. Jefferson's guaranteed cash also far surpasses that of Brown ($84 million).
Highest-Paid NBA Players
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In terms of financial security, the NBA is the place to be.
Jefferson's $35 million average salary would put him 33rd in the league ahead of Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday and behind Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons, the latter of whom played just 15 games this year and is a shell of his old self.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown has both the biggest contract and highest average salary in the NBA as he starts his five-year, $286.2 million extension.
And thanks to the league's forthcoming television deals, player earnings will continue to climb.
ESPN's Bobby Marks noted Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić can collect up to $346.3 million over five seasons on his next deal after making the 2023-24 All-NBA team. Before too long, $300 million contracts and $70 million salaries will be the cost of securing the best players, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic projected that the top earners might be in line to get $100 million a year by 2032-33.
Highest-Paid MLB Players
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The broad spending habits for teams across MLB has been a point of concern for players for multiple seasons now. Last winter showed that a select few can still maximize their value on the open market.
Shohei Ohtani got $700 million over 10 years from the Los Angeles Dodgers, a total payout that's unlikely to be matched in any league anytime soon.
The two-time American League MVP is an outlier both in terms of his prodigious skill set and how well he's compensated by his peers. In terms of annual earnings, Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander and Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer are next on the list at $43.3 million.
Jefferson would be the eighth-highest-paid MLB player alongside Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and Washington Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg, both of whom are exemplars of why being a baseball player has its perks.
Rendon's performance tailed off from the moment he joined the Angels in 2020, while injuries have limited Strasburg to 31.1 total innings since 2019. If this were the NFL, both would've been let go a long time ago.
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