The 2023 is less than two weeks away and the Vikings still haven’t signed Justin Jefferson or T.J. Hockenson to contract extensions, though not for a lack of trying.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Vikings are “making an effort to get wide receiver Justin Jefferson signed before the season starts.”
“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. Jefferson’s kept a pretty low profile about this one, and talks, as far as I can tell, have gone fine. 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.”
Breer goes on to say that Jefferson told him that getting a second contract was “a dream of mine” but said it wouldn’t get in the way of focusing on getting the Vikings to the Super Bowl.
“Easier to do, of course, when you know, sooner or later, you’ll be paid at the top of the market,” Breer added.
Minnesota have already picked up Jefferson’s fifth-year option meaning the 24-year old receiver still has two seasons left on his contract. The Vikings star receiver is widely expected to sign a deal that resets the market not just for wide receivers but, potentially, for all non-quarterbacks.
Jefferson enters his fourth season setting historical marks for best three-year start by a wide receiver in NFL history. In 2022, Jefferson caught 128 passes for 1809 yards, setting a new Vikings record for most receiving yards in a single season. The former first-round pick is already ninth all-time in receiving yards among Vikings receivers.
