Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah discussed the contract situation of wide receiver Justin Jefferson this week, essentially telling everyone to be patient.
“There’s a reason they don’t normally get done two years early, and I’ll kind of leave it at that,” Adofo-Mensah said of contract extensions, via the Vikings’ official YouTube account. “You can look at salary caps and contracts and new money and all that stuff.”
Jefferson is under team control through the end of next season, as Minnesota exercised his fifth-year player option on his rookie contract.
The superstar is expected to become of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks—if not the highest—in NFL history when he does ultimately ink a new deal, but it’s not just going to happen overnight.
“The dialogue was always super positive,” Adofo-Mensah said as far as talks with Jefferson have gone. “We think he’s the best receiver in the league, and we want him to be a Viking for a long time. I think that’s how we start. We’ll figure out the rest.”
It seems hard to imagine the Vikings letting Jefferson walk, as he has already established himself as one of the best playmakers in the league.
Back in January, Adofo-Mensah said that he does not “want to be the Vikings’ GM without that guy [Jefferson] on our team,” so you can bet that Minnesota’s front office will pull out all of the stops to make sure it gets a pact nailed down with the 24-year-old.
Jefferson is currently on the injured reserve list as he recovers from a strained hamstring, but in the five games he has played this season, he has logged 36 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns.
Last year, the LSU product led the league in both receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809) while adding eight scores.
Justin Jefferson has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL seasons.
The Vikings are 4-4 and will take on the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday.
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