Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings continue their beautiful relationship. The team announced a contract extension for Jefferson on Monday, and it’s a great deal. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Jefferson and the Vikings have agreed to a “gigantic” contract extension worth $140 million over four years.
The 24-year-old will earn $35 million per year, with $110 million reportedly guaranteed. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $88.743 million due at signing.
These numbers don’t just make Jefferson a rich man. They make him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL. His new salary tops other recent wide receiver deals, like those signed by Amon-Ra St. Brown and AJ Brown earlier this season, and it’s also better than the huge deal the San Francisco 49ers gave DL Nick Bosa last year. Bosa makes about $34 million a year, but now Jefferson has surpassed him by more than a million dollars.
Jefferson posted his own announcement of the deal on Instagram, using the time not only to thank God and his family, but also to address his doubters for motivating him to be the best.
Jefferson staying in Minnesota will give Vikings fans a sigh of relief. They just lost QB Kirk Cousins ​​to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency and will roll with veteran journeyman Sam Darnold under center as their first-round draft pick, JJ McCarthy, prepares to take over. It’s a time of big change for the Vikings, and when the offseason stretched into late May without a long-term deal to keep their star wideout, people started wondering what took so long.
But the time for wonder is over. The Vikings get to keep their historic WR. Since being drafted with the 22nd overall pick in 2020, he has caught 392 passes for 5,899 yards, making him one of only five players in NFL history with more than 5,000 yards in his first four seasons. Over those four seasons, he averaged an NFL record 98.3 yards per game.
He won Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, but a hamstring injury hampered his performance in 2023. He was limited to just 10 games, but still managed to average 107.4 yards per game. He should be fully healthy for Vikings OTAs, which begin Tuesday.
