The Minnesota Vikings and their superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson are close to nearing a deal. While talks between the two sides were stalled due to the NFL draft last weekend, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said he's optimistic they'll get a deal done sooner rather than later.
Adofo-Mensah told reporters, including ESPN staff writer Kevin Seifert.
"We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives," Adofo-Mensah said. "The process is still ongoing. We did say, 'Hey, [let's pause] a couple days.' The draft's coming. They have players they represent. We have our process." Adofo-Mensah continued to say, "Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week. You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We're excited to work towards it. We're going to keep going. You can't have all these plans when you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we're going to keep working toward that end goal."
Although Jefferson is coming off an injury-riddled season in 2023, where he spent Week 6-12 in the injury reserve list, there's is no question he is among the best, if not the best wide receiver in the league. He still managed to collect 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and scored five touchdowns in 10 games.
Talks between the two sides range back to more than a year ago. Adofo-Mensah said they were '"unbelievably close" to a deal last summer. If a deal is not reached, Jefferson will be a free agent following the 2024 season. It is imperative that a deal is reached to not only secure one of the game's superstars but to provide some relief to Vikings fans.
It's clear that Jefferson wants to get a deal done already as he posted lyrics from a Drake song on Instagram in one of his latest posts, captioning it "The money speakin' for itself, I call it fortune-tell."
The 24-year-old has already established himself as one of the elite playmakers in the NFL today. He has been named a First-team All-Pro in 2022, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, two-time Second-team All-Pro, and three-time Pro Bowler.
Some elite pass catchers have already reached inked new deals with their teams like Eagles' A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Ravens' Rashod Bateman.
St. Brown's new four-year 120,010,000 million contract, with $77 million guaranteed breaks down to $30,002,500 annually, beating out Tyreek Hill's $30 million annually. St. Brown is not only the highest-paid receiver but has received the most guaranteed as well.
St. Brown has reset the market, and the Vikings will now have to presumably make Jefferson the highest paid when his contract comes around. Jefferson led the league in receiving yards in 2022 and will likely return to proper form in 2024.
It's only a matter of 'when' not 'if' a deal gets done at this point.
Uncommon Knowledge
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