BREAKING: Vikings and Justin Jefferson agree on new contract

[purplefaithful]

Justin Jefferson's new contract takes its place atop the richest in Vikings history

Justin Jefferson joined a distinguished lineage on Monday, signing the largest contract in Vikings history with his four-year, $140 million deal that reportedly comes with $110 million guaranteed.

Back in 1989, it was quarterback Wade Wilson getting the most money the Vikings had ever committed to a player.

"I won't make any rash bad decisions," Wilson told the Star Tribune at the time. "I'll go about it slowly and conservatively."

That record-setting contract was for four years, too, and $4.35 million. Total.

In terms of annual value, Wilson was passed up one year later when Vikings defensive lineman Chris Doleman got the richest one-year deal in Vikings history at $1.4 million — with incentives it had the possibility of getting up to $1.6 million.

The exponential growth of NFL contracts, and sports contracts in general, is clear in Jefferson's mind-boggling contract. He'll make over $2 million per game.

But there have been other $100 million deals for the Vikings.

Daunte Culpepper got $102 million in 2003 — but that was for 10 years, and only $16 million was guaranteed. He played three more seasons with the Vikings.

Adrian Peterson got $96 million over seven years in 2011 with the potential for $100 million in escalators and $36 million guaranteed. He restructured that contract in 2015 to secure an additional $20 million in guaranteed money for the next two seasons. He'd leave the Vikings in 2017.

Jefferson's deal makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL and his guaranteed money for a single contract is the most in team history. Over three contracts, the Vikings gave quarterback Kirk Cousins $185 million guaranteed and those numbers essentially blew all concepts of guaranteed money out of the water for NFL contracts.

Still the closest comparison to Jefferson's payday would have to be when the 24-year-old Randy Moss signed an eight-year extension with the Vikings worth $75 million in July 2001.

At the time it was the richest contract in NFL history on an annual basis and made him the highest paid player in the league. The contract came with an $18 million signing bonus — the only guaranteed money in the deal.

Vikings owner Red McCombs said at the time, "As I have said from day one, Randy is going to spend his career as a Viking."

Moss would spend four more seasons with the Vikings before being traded to Oakland.

https://www.startribune.com/vikings-just...600370685/

[medaille]

But top-tier has to be defined then. Because there are less than 'top-tier' guys that have won Superbowls. And less than top-tier guys that have GOTTEN to Superbowls. What a top-tier QB does mostly is keeps your team knocking on the Superbowl door more often than lesser QBs. Other X-factors usually assist in playing a part to winning it all. Only 13 QBs in NFL history have won more than one Superbowl with Brady winning 7 and Bradshaw and Montana winning 4 each. Its REALLY hard to win a Superbowl. You can say with a straight face that Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers both underperformed mightily considering their Hall of Fame careers in winning Superbowls. You need the right bounces, a little luck and some help unless your name is Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana....and probably Patrick Mahomes. 

I'd be more concerned about if a QB can keep knocking at the door, can carry a team when need be and is consistently very good. How many Superbowls he wins is a tough metric to measure a QB by outside the truly great ones I've mentioned which is less than a handful over the modern era of the NFL. Its rarified air and the expectations as a fan is your favorite team won't be getting a Tom Brady or Joe Montana.

I think the top tier is pretty easy to define.  It's the QBs that are carrying their teams, year in, year out.  It's the QBs we're all expecting are going to the HOF.  One of these QBs is probably going to end up with a winning record 8-9 seasons out of 10.  When you talk about these QBs, you are asking "How many SBs they will probably win in their career".  When you talk about the other QBs, you are talking about "If they make it to a SB in their career"  At any given time there's probably 3-4 guys that fit this bill.  Right now we're probably at an anomaly where there's only 1 of these guys and some young guys that might become that.

That said, I totally agree that SB wins is not the defining factor, but consistent success and carrying their team is.  I don't think the expectation is that any given QB should become that level of QB, because it is so rare, but I do think it should be part of every teams plan to find that guy, and if you don't have that guy, you shouldn't be committing to the Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryans of the world and promising them a decade of no competition so they can keep feeling like the man.

[JimmyinSD]

But top-tier has to be defined then. Because there are less than 'top-tier' guys that have won Superbowls. And less than top-tier guys that have GOTTEN to Superbowls. What a top-tier QB does mostly is keeps your team knocking on the Superbowl door more often than lesser QBs. Other X-factors usually assist in playing a part to winning it all. Only 13 QBs in NFL history have won more than one Superbowl with Brady winning 7 and Bradshaw and Montana winning 4 each. Its REALLY hard to win a Superbowl. You can say with a straight face that Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers both underperformed mightily considering their Hall of Fame careers in winning Superbowls. You need the right bounces, a little luck and some help unless your name is Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana....and probably Patrick Mahomes. 

I'd be more concerned about if a QB can keep knocking at the door, can carry a team when need be and is consistently very good. How many Superbowls he wins is a tough metric to measure a QB by outside the truly great ones I've mentioned which is less than a handful over the modern era of the NFL. Its rarified air and the expectations as a fan is your favorite team won't be getting a Tom Brady or Joe Montana.

tom brady doesnt win as many SBs if he plays for market money his whole career, and take out the guys that have done it on rookie deals and/or played in the pre salary cap and free agency era. How many are left that arent Top of the era type QBs? I just dont think its a matter of paying a top 5-15 guy top of the market money to keep him in house, if you have to provide above par protection and targets, then is that guy really worth top tier money? IMO no, and its a large reason why teams that use those types of QBs, never seem to get over that hump, always good enough to be on the precipice of greatness... but will never really be remembered for anything except heartache.

[RS_Express]

I'm thrilled all the rumors and BS is done and JJ is here through 2028. Personally I'd have kept the 2024 cap hit where it was and not added the void year, but keeping JJ at only $5 mil a year more than St. Brown is a damn good deal for us.

[StickierBuns]

Jefferson is only 24 years old. Addison 22. I'd expect Minnesota to draft a RB fairly high next year. If JJM can develop and start as planned for 2025, with all the cap money and another nice group of rookies drafted next spring, they've really flipped the script pretty quickly into a contending young team. I think although they preferred to sign Cousins for another 2 years, this is going to turn out to be the better scenario moving forward without Cousins IF they hit on JJM (duh).

Minnesota didn't just resign a great receiver, they signed potentially one of the best ever. He's the face of the franchise. He's a monumental difference maker. He's all-in on being the best and it reverberates around the team. Didn't bitch once about his contract or stop following the Vikings on social media like these other divas.

[MaroonBells]

Wow...

The Purple Persuasion@TPPSkol
Per@AdamSchefter, a #Vikings and WR Justin Jefferson agreement on an extension nearly took place the Saturday before the Vikings season opener last year. It was so close, Schefter wrote the story about it.

It would’ve paid him $28M per year ?

https://twitter.com/TPPSkol/status/1797969784304521328

[JimmyinSD]

Wow...

The Purple Persuasion@TPPSkol
Per@AdamSchefter, a #Vikings and WR Justin Jefferson agreement on an extension nearly took place the Saturday before the Vikings season opener last year. It was so close, Schefter wrote the story about it.

It would’ve paid him $28M per year ?

https://twitter.com/TPPSkol/status/1797969784304521328

uhm... could we get that deal instead? I cant find the reported article so I am not sure why they didnt jump on that number and get this done back then.

[MaroonBells]

uhm... could we get that deal instead?  I cant find the reported article so I am not sure why they didnt jump on that number and get this done back then.

Right? But you can play that game with any contract.

[StickierBuns]

uhm... could we get that deal instead?  I cant find the reported article so I am not sure why they didnt jump on that number and get this done back then.

I think Jefferson turned it down last second. Smart move on his part.

---

Justin Jefferson on JJ McCarthy:

“A new energy. A new soul. I love his confidence. I love his attitude. Of course him coming off a championship, you can’t have any more confidence than that. That confidence is going to continue to be with him, and it’s my job to install that into his brain throughout the whole entire season. And of course giving him that extra confidence by throwing me the ball.”

“I talked to JJ as soon as he got drafted. I told him confidence is key. Coming into this league with confidence and being able to have that leadership right off the bat, being a rookie. There’s going to be people to come and help, of course I’m going to be that main person to be in his ear and try to teach him and try to prepare him for what we’re about to go through. I told him this league is tough, it’s not an easy job to come out here and perform at the highest ability, especially as a rookie. I’ll definitely be that main person that he can lean on and help throughout the way.”

[badgervike]

uhm... could we get that deal instead?  I cant find the reported article so I am not sure why they didnt jump on that number and get this done back then.

Not sure this is that much more Jim.  This gets us another year with Jefferson and remember he played last year on the last non option rookie year for $2.4M.  

So...if we take their word for it....the extension would have paid him $30m last year.  That's a difference of $27.6M.  If you divide that difference over 4 years you'll get an additional $6.9m.  Add the $6.9M per year to the reported $28M per year offered...it comes in right about the same number ($34.9M per year).   Plus...we get Jefferson for another year and what might look like a bargain in his last few contract years.

Btw..several news outlets reported the Vikings had offered $30M per year last year (not $28M).  If that's the case...this is a better deal..  

Anyway...he's a Viking for a while...unless he pulls a Diggs.  So glad to have him.