This NFL offseason brought about record-breaking quarterback deals after the 2021 free agency period witnessed wide receiver values change forever.
While 2023 has been quieter for wideouts, All-Pro Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson seems to be hinting that the words “blockbuster deal” and “wide receiver” will be relinking soon.
‘A Dream of Mine’ Justin Jefferson Says of Rumored New Deal
Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated in his Monday column, the Vikings are “making an effort” to work out a new deal with the perennial Pro Bowl wideout.
“No one’s talking much about it, but the Vikings are making an effort to get wide receiver Justin Jefferson signed before the season starts,” Breer wrote.
Surprisingly, the normally talkative three-time Pro Bowler has been mute about the talks involving his pending future with Minnesota. He also addressed his brief absence from the team.
“Jefferson’s kept a pretty low profile about this one, and talks, as far as I can tell, have gone fine,” Breer wrote. “When I visited with him a few weeks back, he told me his absence from parts of the offseason were about endorsement opportunities, not the contract.”
However, Jefferson shared with Breer how since his childhood in St. Rose, Louisiana, he’s dreamed of a mega deal.
“He did call getting a life-altering second contract ‘a dream of mine. It’s been a dream since I was 7 years old.’ But then he added, ‘I’m definitely not letting that contract stuff get in the way of my team. We have to be focused on getting to the Super Bowl,”‘ Breer revealed. “Easier to do, of course, when you know, sooner or later, you’ll be paid at the top of the market.”
How Would Jefferson Reset Market?
Jefferson has the following credentials that raise his case of earning a record-shattering deal: Back-to-back 100-catch seasons, an NFL-high 128 catches last season, a league-leading 1,809 yards also in 2022, and earning his first All-Pro nod.
But if he gets awarded a new deal, what could it look like, and who would he have to surpass?
The short answer is this: The Vikings would have to surpass what Miami Dolphins All-Pro Tyreek Hill makes each year … which is $30 million.
That’s right — Minnesota would have to find a way to hit $30,100,000 or a higher number per year to make Jefferson the league’s richest wide receiver.
Hill, a Super Bowl 54 winner, is the only WR in the NFL who earns $30 million per season. The next closest is the NFL’s 2022 leader in touchdown receptions, Davante Adams, who earns $28 million with the Las Vegas Raiders. The next highest is Cooper Kupp, who sits at $26.7 million per year with the Los Angeles Rams.
