When Will Justin Jefferson Sign?
Syndication: Detroit Free Press
Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver the Minnesota Vikings have had since Randy Moss, and, if he spends many more years in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, he could be the best in franchise history. For that to happen there needs to be an extension done to keep him in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. Jefferson is heading into the final season of his rookie contract that is set to pay him almost $20 million annd despite plenty of time and lots of discussion we still seem no closer to a deal.
The likely pre curser to a deal will be figuring out if Kirk Cousins will be in purple. The Cousins sword has two sharp edges to it. If the Vikings sign the QB long-term, some of the money they might have paid to Jefferson could be wrapped up in the quarterback. If Cousins decides to leave, will Jefferson want to wait to figure out who the long-term quarterback is before deciding to stay? Jefferson has been vocal about wanting Cousins to be his starting quarterback in 2024, but has also talked about how he has found success with other plays under center.
“It could be Kirk, it could not be Kirk,” Jefferson said on NFL Network’s Super Bowl Live, “I have no idea, but it doesn’t matter who’s going to be throwing me that ball, you know I’m going to be that same type of player.”
When Will Justin Jefferson Sign?
All the comments from Jefferson seem to hint that he’s not too concerned about who’s under center, but it’s hard to imagine he’s going to sign an extension not knowing who the starting quarterback will be. If Cousins does sign an extension with Minnesota, it could be the following day that Jefferson puts pen to paper and commits to Kevin O’Connell and crew long-term. If Cousins decides to move onto a different team, this could be a situation that stretches almost to training camp. If the Vikings have a new starting quarterback in 2024, there isn’t much of a shot that he locks up long-term until after the draft, and it could be later than that.
No matter how much chatter is coming from both sides, I believe everyone wants to get a long-term deal done. With training camp usually being the self-imposed deadline, I would expect this is going to go right up to that moment. Look for Jefferson and the Vikings to come to an extension a day or two before players are to report. It could be a long summer of sweating in the Minnesota humidity, but ultimately Jefferson is going to be with the Vikings for a long time. Maybe even long enough to jump ahead of Moss in the minds of the Purple faithful.
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