A new Vikings contract for star wide receiver Justin Jefferson isn’t a foregone conclusion, according to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio.
The 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and three-time Pro Bowler hasn’t shown up for workouts this offseason. And Florio reports that isn’t by accident.
Jefferson is after a new deal that could set the bar for players in his position, which means it will need to be more than the $30 million a year Tyreek Hill is earning in Miami. While the Vikings do want to offer the wideout a new deal, their contract structure could complicate things.
How The Vikings’ Contract Structure Could Make A Mess Of Their Negotiations
A league source told Florio that the team insists on a model that sets injury guarantees that don’t become fully guaranteed until the year that the money is due. This leaves the Vikings with a way out of paying money to a player who is hurt.
They made an exception for quarterback Kirk Cousins, but doing it for Jefferson is not at all certain. Florio claims to have asked a source with knowledge of the negotiations whether the structure will pose problems. The response was a simple “We’ll see.”
Jefferson is the best receiver in the NFL right now so the Vikings would do well to keep things cordial. That would likely mean guaranteeing him at least two or three years of whatever contract they propose.
