The idea of Minnesota Vikings paying Justin Jefferson among the top non-quarterbacks in the league has never been questioned — but what about as high as some NFL quarterbacks?
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Outkick’s Armando Salguero, who covered the Miami Dolphins for three decades with the Miami Herald and also serves as Fox Sports’ senior NFL writer, reported on May 21 that Jefferson wants to break into the quarterback stratosphere when it comes to his next contract.
“As salaries for some non-quarterback positions rise, one source said Jefferson wants to be paid like some quarterbacks,” Salguero wrote. “At one point in the negotiation [with the Vikings], he wanted to reach the $40 million per year mark on an annual average, according to the source. It’s unclear if that is still where the talks are centered.
“Jefferson also wants to do a deal that includes fully guaranteed money that is at or close to $100 million, another source told OutKick,” Salguero added.
Thirteen quarterbacks in the NFL have a contract worth at least $40 million annually, according to Over The Cap.
Justin Jefferson Turned Down $30 Million Deal From Vikings: Report
When NFL free agency opened in March, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed more insight from the Vikings’ contract negotiations with Jefferson last year. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said that they came “unbelievably close” to a deal in negotiations that ran up to the eve of the 2023 season.
However, Schefter said that Jefferson’s camp was unsatisfied, turning down a deal “in excess of $30 million-a-year,” during a March 12 appearance on “NFL Live.”
What is next for Justin Jefferson? 🤔 @danorlovsky7 | @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/pZC1CVoBL1
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 12, 2024
Since then, A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown have reset the wide receiver market, garnering deals surpassing $30 million a year. Brown is currently the league’s highest-paid wide receiver with his contract’s average annual value of $32 million a year.
That only raises the floor for Jefferson’s deal as he’s established himself as the league’s No. 1 wide receiver. Through the past four seasons, Jefferson has averaged the most receiving yards per game (98.7) of any player in the NFL.
A.J. Brown Contract Puts Pressure on Vikings to Make History With Jefferson’s Contract
Jefferson’s contract reaching quarterback stature could be attained in many ways — some of which could save the Vikings money.
If the Vikings want Jefferson to come down from requiring a $40 million average annual value for his contract, offering a fully guaranteed would be a good place to start.
Brown’s three-year, $96 million extension included $84 million guaranteed, the most given to a receiver in league history.
It was just six years ago that Kirk Cousins brokered the league’s first fully guaranteed contract. Jefferson would like to make history with his contract, and making him the first wide receiver to receive a fully guaranteed contract would be groundbreaking.
However, Vikings ownership appears more timid to fully sign away that much money to a receiver.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, appearing on KFAN with Vikings announcer Paul Allen, called out the Vikings for holding an outdated policy on guarantees outside the quarterback position and urged ownership to reconsider.
“The Vikings are one of the few teams that will not fully guarantee beyond the first year of the contract for anyone other than Kirk Cousins. If you’re not going to make that same exception for Justin Jefferson, you are going to have a problem with Justin Jefferson eventually,” Florio said.
“It’s not the dollars, it’s the structure. Fans need to hold ownership accountable. These are policies set by the Wilfs. They don’t want to guarantee in-full money beyond the first year on that deal for anything other than the quarterback position. You need to make the exception.”
