Kevin O’Connell not worried about Justin Jefferson’s contract situation

The Minnesota Vikings have their quarterback. Now, their attention turns to making sure J.J. McCarthy has his top target in town for years to come.

Justin Jefferson remains without a contract extension just over two months into the NFL’s offseason. However, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t too concerned about the situation.

“I know everything’s going to get worked out there,” O’Connell said on the “Up & Adams” show. “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.”

While O’Connell stated his optimism that a long-term deal will get done between the Vikings and Jefferson, the clock is slowly ticking. The star wide receiver is entering the final year of his rookie contract as he’s set to earn $19.743 million guaranteed on the fifth-year option. The two sides tried to get a deal done last offseason, but contract negotiations were put on pause when the regular season began.

Since then, wide receivers have only continued to earn a pretty penny in new deals. Calvin Ridley signed a four-year, $92 million deal to join the Tennessee Titans in free agency. The Detroit Lions gave Amon-Ra St. Brown a four-year, $120 million extension in April, which included $77 million in guaranteed money, a record for a wide receiver.

Well before Ridley, St. Brown and other receivers earned massive paydays, Jefferson expressed that he’d like to see a nice paycheck hit his bank account back in February.

“I want to break the bank, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants me and to really give me what I deserve,” Jefferson said in an interview with Mad Dog Sports Radio then. “I feel like eventually the Vikings will do what they need to do to have me in the building, but I don’t really know at this very moment. Only time will tell.

“I feel like I have the right people in my circle to negotiate and do what’s right, and I feel like this whole process of how we handle things and how we went accordingly with the season and the contract stuff, I feel like we did a great job with it.”

It’s reasonable to think that Jefferson’s next contract will be larger than what St. Brown and the other highest-paid receivers are earning. Jefferson, who only turns 25 in June, has been one of the league’s elite receivers since he entered the league in 2020, recording 128 receptions for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 to win Offensive Player of the Year. He also had 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns in just 10 games last season, missing time due to a hamstring injury.

Take the Packers, Vikings over 9.5 and 6.5 wins, Cowboys under 10.5 wins

Jefferson’s dominance early in his career could be why it still might take some time for the Vikings to look him up long-term. Other notable receivers, such as Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb, are also seeking extensions this offseason. The Vikings could wait until the other top receivers sign deals before they agree to an extension to ensure that Jefferson is the highest-paid receiver in the game, similar to what the Cincinnati Bengals did last season with Joe Burrow.

It is evident though that the Vikings value Jefferson. They said they were keeping him in the loop on their quarterback situation after losing Kirk Cousins in free agency. Jefferson also reciprocated that notion, with McCarthy sharing that the star wideout reached out to him shortly after he was drafted.