Following the draft, the biggest open item left on the Minnesota Vikings' offseason to-do list is locking down Justin Jefferson to a massive contract.
The Vikings have been adamant throughout the process about how much they value Jefferson as the best wide receiver in the game and one of the top non-quarterbacks. The question isn't if J.J. gets paid. It's when and how much.
"I know everything's going to get worked out there," coach Kevin O'Connell told Kay Adams on Up & Adams on Monday. "Justin knows the love and admiration that I have for him, and he knows he's such a big part of what we do around here. That's on the field, that's off the field, (he) brings such a great energy to our building every single day. And he's the ultra-competitor as far as when he steps between the white lines. Very few people are able to do the things that he's able to do, but it's how he goes about his business, how he works, how he pushes his teammates to get better. Justin Jefferson is a huge part of this organization."
QB-proof, Jefferson is a record-setting talent who dominates opponents. Even missing seven games due to injury in 2023, he still breached the 1,000-yard plateau. Jefferson's 98.3 yards per game over four seasons is easily tops in NFL history (Calvin Johnson is No. 2 at 86.1).
Entering the fifth year of his rookie contract, Jefferson is set to earn a guaranteed $19.743 million. He's earned a significant pay boost. And with every new WR deal that gets done, the number only increases.
Making matters more interesting for Jefferson, Minnesota and the rest of the league is the trio of wideouts waiting to get paid. Ja'Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb join Jefferson in the market for new deals. Each seems to be waiting for the other to make a move so he can leapfrog to the top. The question is who blinks first and who is comfortable waiting out the others.
Big-time deals in the NFL generally come to fruition closer to training camp in July. That's the timeline when we could expect new deals to happen in succession, resetting the top of the WR market each time.
