Justin Jefferson wants to be paid. The Vikings have multiple incentives to do so

Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

Justin Jefferson stepped out of a white Mercedes Maybach in the bowels of a nondescript stadium. His Louis Vuitton sneakers hit the ground first. His pearl-laden brown sweats swished as he walked through the tunnel and into the arena. The wide receiver was out and about, posting on social media without a care in the world.

This wouldn’t really have been a big deal, save for the fact that Jefferson’s own team has simultaneously started voluntary offseason workouts, without Jefferson in attendance.

What makes this an even bigger story is that Jefferson is due a new contract by the Minnesota Vikings. The former Offensive Player of the Year is just 24 years old and has been a bargain for Minnesota on his rookie deal. Jefferson’s cap hit was just over $4 million last season. Even in his fifth year on the exercised option, Jefferson is scheduled to make $19.7 million in 2024. While that’s nothing to snuff at, it puts him as the 12th highest-paid receiver when it comes to cap hit. At that salary, he’s behind players like Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk and Washington’s Terry McLaurin — neither of whom have OPOY or All-Pro honors under their belts.

Jefferson only played in 10 games last season and yet he still had over 1,000 receiving yards. His career average per game is 98.3 yards. He has a 68.1 percent catch rate. In his last full season, which was his best, he led the league in both receptions and receiving yards.

There is no doubt what he means to the Minnesota Vikings.

So, what’s taking so long?

Jefferson became eligible for an extension over a calendar year ago. The wide receiver bubble doesn’t seem like it’s bursting any time soon, either. Had the Vikings extended Jefferson last offseason, they could have potentially gotten him under contract for under $30 million. Miami’s Tyreek Hill became the first receiver to be paid $30 million annually right at that point, according to average contract value. Since then, two more receivers have joined that club in Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown. The former has an average salary of $32 million as the highest-paid receiver in football.

It’ll take at least that much to lock down Jefferson now.

And the Vikings know that.

“We think he’s the best receiver in the league, and he should be compensated as such,” said general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in February.

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A deal is imminent, even if it hasn’t been worked out yet. It would be the ultimate fumble by Minnesota to let a homegrown talent like Jefferson walk given that his best football is likely still ahead of him — and for a long time, too.

When you are talking about resetting the market though, these things tend to take a bit longer.

Jefferson not being at OTA’s shouldn’t come as a shock, both because of the contract talks and also because he wasn’t there last year, either. At this stage, OTA’s are voluntary. There are often bonuses attached to participation but with a new deal looming, those bonuses for Jefferson are likely minimal if they exist at all.

The one downside of Jefferson’s absence is that Minnesota is now trying to bring along a new quarterback who they hope is their future. The Vikings took former Michigan signal caller J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While he’s thought to be somewhat of a project given his lack of passing stats at Michigan, he’s also thought to have tremendous upside, especially given that Minnesota’s roster is stacked with talent.

The quicker McCarthy can mesh with that talent, the easier his transition will be. Not having one of the best receivers in football available to help him in the beginning is only making the process slower.

Still, Jefferson is worried about himself and his contract first and foremost. No one can blame him for that. All reports are that Jefferson is still working out on his own like he does every offseason.

But you know what could entice him to do that training in Minnesota with their new quarterback at the Vikings’ facility, instead?

Cash. And a lot of it.

The price is only going up. Minnesota would be wise to lock Jefferson up as soon as possible.

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.