The Green Bay Packers ended the 2023 season on an extremely high note. After an up and down start, the Packers started firing on all cylinders about half way through the year.
The Detroit Lions figure to pose the biggest threat to the Packers when it comes to winning the NFC North. However, it was a different NFC North team who had some troubling news to report today.
One Of The Green Bay Packers Division Rivals Announces Troubling News
According to a story by ESPN:
Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who has been in talks with the Minnesota Vikings regarding a contract extension, was not spotted at the team’s training facility Monday for the start of OTAs, team sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jefferson also didn’t participate in the earlier portion of the Vikings’ offseason program, which like OTAs, are voluntary.
Last month, during the NFL draft, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the team and Jefferson were making progress on a deal, although the sides paused talks during the draft.
The Vikings and Jefferson have been discussing terms of the deal for more than a year. Adofo-Mensah said previously that they got “unbelievably close” to a deal last summer before tabling the talks at the start of the 2023 regular season.
Jefferson also missed all of the Vikings’ 2023 voluntary workouts before reporting for mandatory minicamp as he worked through negotiations.
What Will The Minnesota Vikings Have To Pay Justin Jefferson?
It was reported last month that Philadelphia Eagles’ receiver A.J. Brown had signed a three-year, $96 million extension, with $84 million guaranteed, according to Schefter. It was the highest contract value ever for a wide receiver with an average annual salary of $32 million and a $84 million guarantee.
When Jefferson suffered a right hamstring injury in Week 5 of last season, he led the NFL in receiving yards (543). In Week 15, after returning for good, he accumulated 476 receiving yards, which was second in the league. Aside from Jim Benton (1945) and Wes Chandler (1982), he is the only player to hit the 1,000-yard mark in 10 games or fewer, catching 68 passes for 1,074 yards.
The Vikings will undoubtedly make Jefferson the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. The deal could exceed more than $35 million per year. That puts him squarely in “quarterback money” when it comes to the NFL.
