The Vikings have an offseason with a lot of questions that need answering.
Who will be defensive coordinator? How many of the aging defensive players will return? Will Kirk Cousins be back next season? Just how big will Justin Jefferson’s contract extension be?
While head coach Kevin O’Connell danced around that first question, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave us some insight into the others Wednesday. .
Speaking with Twin Cities media about Cousins possibly returning next season, Adofo-Mensah said “It’s our expectation that he’ll be our quarterback.”
Cousins signed a one-year, $35 million extension last offseason that goes through the 2023 season. The extension sets Cousins’ 2023 cap hit at a whopping $36 million, approximately 16.4% of the Vikings’ cap.
“I can’t say exactly how that would look,” Adofo-Mensah continued. “We have everything at our disposal, we’ll consider all those things.”
Cousins certainly played well enough this season to deserve an extension but how long do the Vikings want to extend a quarterback who will be 35 by the time the 2023 season starts?
KAM on a Jefferson extension: “we’ve had initial dialogue with his agent”
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) January 18, 2023
As for the Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson and his impending contract situation Adofo-Mensah said it’s “champagne problems” to try and figure out how to pay Jefferson the mega-contract he’ll likely get.
“I wouldn’t use the word challenge. You have a special player, special person. Those aren’t problems or at least those are champagne problems, so we’ll start there,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’ve had initial dialogue with him, his agent and all those things. We factor that into planning, but again really starts with the player, the person and work out solutions from there on.”
Jefferson has set an incredible pace over the first three years of career with 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns on 324 receptions. His yardage and receptions through three years blow away any other player in NFL, with the two closest being Randy Moss and Odell Beckham Jr.
- Randy Moss: 226 receptions, 4163 yards, 43 touchdowns
- Odell Beckham Jr.: 288 receptions, 4122 yards, 35 touchdowns
Jefferson led the NFL this season with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards.
Raiders receiver Davante Adams and Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill set the market last year with their mega-deals. Adam got $140 million over five years and Hill received a four-year, $120 million contract.
Jefferson will most likely expect to surpass that by a wide margin considering he’ll be entering the 2023 season as a 24-year-old while Adams will be 31 and Hill will be 29.
