Stefon Diggs' Extension Another Reminder that Justin Jefferson Will Be Extremely Rich Soon
Former Vikings draft steal and playoff hero Stefon Diggs became the latest star wide receiver to land a big-time contract when he signed a four-year, $104 million extension on Wednesday. The 2020 first-team All-Pro is now under contract for six more seasons with the Bills, possibly keeping him in Buffalo for the rest of his career.
Diggs wasn't the first big-name wideout to get paid this offseason. Davante Adams signed for $141 million over five seasons with the Raiders. Tyreek Hill got $120 million over four years with the Dolphins. The average annual values for Diggs, Adams, and Hill aren't as high as they might seem when you include the remaining years on their previous contracts, but they're still very high. Even non-stars like Christian Kirk and Mike Williams got $18-20 million per year on new deals recently. The market for receivers is exploding.
That's great news for Justin Jefferson, the Vikings' superstar receiver who was drafted with a pick the Vikings got in the Diggs trade. He leads all players with 3,016 receiving yards over the past two seasons, despite those being the first two seasons of his career. Adams, an eight-year veteran in his prime, is nearly 100 yards back in second place. Jefferson is still a few months away from turning 23.
Even though it's been less than two years since the Vikings drafted Jefferson, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to already be thinking about how he's going to fit the LSU product's second contract into Minnesota's financial structure. Jefferson is going to be worth somewhere in the range of $25 to $30 million per season if he keeps producing at this elite level.
It's not something the Vikings need to worry about immediately. First up for extensions will be 2019 draft picks like Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and Terry McLaurin. Jefferson won't become eligible for an extension until after this upcoming season, his third.
But it's something that is surely on the Vikings' minds. Even though they technically could have him on an affordable rookie contract for five seasons with the fifth-year option, they'll want to appease their franchise player by getting him paid and locked up long-term sooner rather than later. Once that happens, the Vikings may need to have serious conversations about whether or not they can afford to continue paying Kirk Cousins $35 or $40 million per season while also paying his top target nearly that much.
Just something to keep in mind moving forward. Jefferson, who enters year three looking to prove he's the best receiver in the league, is going to be a very rich man in the not-too-distant future.
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