Justin Jefferson isn’t going anywhere.
A source confirmed to the Pioneer Press that Jefferson has agreed to a 4-year, $140 million contract extension that will keep him with the Vikings will into his prime.
The historic agreement will pay Jefferson an average of $35 million per year, which makes him the highest-paid, non-quarterback in the NFL, surpassing the average annual value of San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa. The deal also includes $110 million guaranteed and has effectively reset the market.
The money is incredibly deserved for Jefferson.
All he’s done is produce since the Vikings selected with the No. 22 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He put the rest of the world on notice as a rookie, scoring the first touchdown of his career, hitting The Griddy as he crossed the goal line, and never once looking back.
In a total of in 60 games so far in his career, Jefferson has totaled 392 career receptions for 5,899 career receiving yards and 30 receiving touchdowns. He eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards last season despite only playing 10 games as he battled his way through a hamstring injury.
The news comes roughly 24 hours before the Vikings arrive at TCO Performance Center in Eagan for mandatory minicamp.
This was always the expected outcome for both sides regardless of the seemingly constant rumors that swirled this offseason.
Anytime general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been forced to broach the subject publicly he remained steadfast that the ultimate goal was keeping Jefferson around for the foreseeable future. Asked for an update on the negotiations with Jefferson following the 2024 NFL Draft, for example, Adofo-Mensah truly made it seem like it was only a matter of time before something got done.
“You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month?” Adofo-Mensah said. “I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it.”
Let the celebration begin.
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