Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is preparing to enter his fifth NFL season, but he still does not have a long-term deal.
For some reason, the Vikings have been delaying handing Jefferson a new contract, and it’s getting to a point where the star wide out is beginning to show signs of frustration.
When speaking about the status of his contract this week, Jefferson sent some subtle warnings to Minnesota’s front office.
“I’m not sure what you’ve got to do,” Jefferson said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I’m not sure how much you’ve got to put up [to get the contract], but, I mean, I will always continue to be myself. I will always continue to play the game the way I know how to play it and I will always give my all out there on that field. I know the money is going to come. I know the contract is going to come. I’m just gonna be waiting patiently.”
Jefferson was limited to just 10 games this past season due to a hamstring injury, but he still managed to register 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns.
In his first three seasons between 2020 and 2022, Jefferson made three straight Pro Bowls while also earning a First-Team All-Pro selection. In 2022, he led the NFL in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809) while adding eight scores.
The 24-year-old rightly feels he has produced enough to earn a new deal.
“You know, it kind of gets frustrating at some point in time of course, just what all I have done for the organization,” Jefferson said. “I’m still early in my contract, my rookie contract, but no one has done what I’ve done before. I’m just excited to just be a part of their organization and hopefully they feel that I’m valuable enough to give me, it doesn’t matter the amount of zeros, but I just want to play football and want to be a part of the organization that, you know, values me and wants me there.”
More than likely, the Vikings will get something done with Jefferson. They would be beyond silly not to. But the longer this drags out, the more annoyed Jefferson is going to get.
If by some chance Minnesota is unable to reach a long-term agreement with Justin Jefferson, you can bet that almost every team around the league will be checking in to see if he is on the trade block.
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