Let's make a deal, shall we? That seems to be on the horizon between the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson's representation. Although Minnesota has a rough history for ending things with its talented wide receivers, I think the fifth time is the charm for Team Skol, brother. No, the Vikings are not going to let Jefferson walk because that would be patently stupid. But how much will he make?
While appearing on Up & Adams, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell seemed incredibly optimistic about the situation. He, ownership and the front office have all been in constant contact with the star wide receiver over his new contract. Although they let his former quarterback Kirk Cousins walk in free agency to the Atlanta Falcons, Jefferson seems on board with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy.
O'Connell's confidence a deal gets done between Minnesota and Jefferson permeated the interview.
"I know everything's going to get worked out there. Justin knows the love and admiration that I have for him, and he knows he's such a big part of what we do around here. That's on the field, that's off the field, (he) brings such a great energy to our building every single day. And he's the ultra-competitor as far as when he steps between the white lines."
The last player I saw do what Jefferson can do on the football field for the Vikings was Randy Moss.
"Very few people are able to do the things that he's able to do, but it's how he goes about his business, how he works, how he pushes his teammates to get better. Justin Jefferson is a huge part of this organization."
Here is Adams asking O'Connell about the contract situation between Jefferson and the Vikings.
If Minnesota wants to rebuild on the fly, retaining Jefferson will be a key component in doing that.
Kevin O'Connell confident Justin Jefferson is getting a long-term deal
Any time you have a top-five player at his respective position group in the NFL, you do whatever it takes to retain him long-term, especially if he has been on this level for multiple years. Jefferson has pretty much been that since joining the league out of LSU in 2020. He may have come off the board way later than expected, but Jefferson could go down as the greatest draft pick in franchise history.
For as polarizing as the Vikings' front office has been since this regime has taken over, it is now hard to argue with the vision general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is putting out in front of us. As long as he, O'Connell and owner Zygi Wilf remain on the same page, then Jefferson can be a first-ballot hall-of-famer who never plays for another franchise. Of course, McCarthy has to be as good as Cousins was.
Overall, as long as all parties keep it respectful, a deal will get done accordingly and will not be a distraction during training camp. For the most part, the Vikings are a well-run operation. They may have never won a Super Bowl before, but they get more things right than they don't. Therefore, I would suspect that Jefferson will be putting pen to paper on a long-term deal sometime this summer.
Give it time. The Vikings will be back competing for NFC North division crowns under this regime.
