Justin Jefferson isn't making extension negotiations dramatic ... for now
EAGAN — Only a few minutes after Justin Jefferson stepped on the field at TCO Performance Center for the first time this summer, he made a breathtaking catch in warm-ups. It was like an announcement: In case anybody forgot during his absence in OTAs, nobody does it better.
“I told him this morning, you can just tell when he’s walking the halls in our building – just the energy and the juice that he brings,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He was in great shape, moving around today like I expected him to be. Mentally still really sharp. I mean, we’re quite a few installs in on formations and certain plays, and he was able to jump right back in there and really try to absorb some of the new things we’re doing as well as his role.”
During Vikings mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Jefferson didn’t show any signs of a player frustrated by contract negotiations. He participated a fair amount, running his share of three-quarter and full speed reps and he didn’t shy away from the gauntlet of questions about his absence or his contract negotiations.
Why wasn’t he there?
“Had a lot of stuff going on,” Jefferson said while referencing some endorsement obligations and noting that OTAs were voluntary.
Was skipping OTAs connected to being eligible for a contract extension?
“Not too much part of it, the contract is going to come with the game,” Jefferson said.
Will the contract become a distraction?
“I don’t really see it as a cloud hanging over my head,” he said. “At the end of the day I’m still going to be myself, still going to be playing the same way. The contract comes with the game but my agent handles that.”
Will he hold out of training camp if there’s no extension?
“Will I be here? Yeah, yeah,” he said.
What’s his mentality about the contract?
“As long as I keep on performing at my best abilities on the field and being the same person that I am on and off the field, I’ll be good,” Jefferson said.
Nothing to see here, everybody!
Kidding aside, Jefferson’s handling of his first day back took the drama out of his situation. Had he skipped mandatory camp and incurred massive fines or stood on the sideline sulking or snuck through the back door to avoid the media, it would have drawn an ungodly amount of attention, particularly because there’s nothing else to talk about in the NFL in the middle of June.
Now he won’t be a debate topic on national TV shows that have hosts yell at each other.
Considering his stature, he could have created tension within the entire organization by using tactics to turn up the heat. Not that it’s wrong for players to focus on their worth and use whatever means are at their disposal but the reality is that holdouts create tension within an entire organization. They leave teammates to answer questions and fill in spots during practices and put front office execs on the defensive.
Instead it was a mostly normal summer day in June at the Vikings’ facility, save for O’Connell having to address Danielle Hunter’s no-show as he deals with a contract dispute.
By the way, Jefferson’s kumbaya day at minicamp allows us to call it an ongoing negotiation rather than a dispute, which feels like a pretty important distinction.
Things are going to be hard enough without the noise.
CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, a former agent, wrote about the potential gap between Jefferson’s side and how the Vikings normally do business.
“For every other Vikings player, base-salary guarantees after the first contract year have been for injury only initially at signing and typically become fully guaranteed on the third day of the league year in each specific year (i.e.; an injury guaranteed 2025 base salary is fully guaranteed in March 2025).
The Seahawks are one of the few teams that don't fully guarantee the second year at signing with veteran contracts. A trade-off has been Seattle giving large signing bonuses. For example, DK Metcalf's $30 million signing bonus was the biggest ever for a wide receiver when the Seahawks signed him to a three-year, $72 million extension, averaging $24 million per year, last July.”
The details might not be easy but the bigger picture for the Vikings is clear: They want Jefferson to stay long term. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has said as much on every occasion that he’s been asked about paying JJ. There’s no reason to hide it: They want the NFL’s best receiver in Minnesota for a long time. Of course, that does give Jefferson’s side a lot of leverage to aim for everything they want. Closing that gap might take some time.
For now, it doesn’t have to get ugly. But that doesn’t mean it won’t ever get ugly. With a historic rise in the salary cap expected, Jefferson’s side could demand dollar figures way above what the Vikings are comfortable with paying. He also doesn’t have to sign anything this year. He could wait and then truly force their hand next year.
If there’s no deal by Week 1, there’s no amount of smiling and giving non-controversial answers that will keep JJ’s contract from becoming a major talking point.
Let’s not put any carts before any horses when it comes to that. Jefferson’s choice to practice keeps the waters calm and discussions behind closed doors. That can only be better for both sides eventually coming together on an agreement.
