Kevin O’Connell not worried about Justin Jefferson’s contract situation

The Minnesota Vikings have their quarterback. Now, their attention turns to making sure J.J. McCarthy has his top target in town for years to come. 

Justin Jefferson remains without a contract extension just over two months into the NFL’s offseason. However, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t too concerned about the situation.

“I know everything’s going to get worked out there,” O’Connell said on the “Up & Adams” show. “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. 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.”

While O’Connell stated his optimism that a long-term deal will get done between the Vikings and Jefferson, the clock is slowly ticking. The star wide receiver is entering the final year of his rookie contract as he’s set to earn $19.743 million guaranteed on the fifth-year option. The two sides tried to get a deal done last offseason, but contract negotiations were put on pause when the regular season began. 

Since then, wide receivers have only continued to earn a pretty penny in new deals. Calvin Ridley signed a four-year, $92 million deal to join the Tennessee Titans in free agency. The Detroit Lions gave Amon-Ra St. Brown a four-year, $120 million extension in April, which included $77 million in guaranteed money, a record for a wide receiver.

Well before Ridley, St. Brown and other receivers earned massive paydays, Jefferson expressed that he’d like to see a nice paycheck hit his bank account back in February. 

“I want to break the bank, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants me and to really give me what I…


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Publish date : 2024-05-15 15:18:11

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