With T.J. Hockenson's Extension Complete, is Justin Jefferson Next?
A little more than a week ahead of the start of the 2023 regular season, the Vikings finally got a contract extension done with tight end T.J. Hockenson that allows him to turn his focus to Week 1.
Will Justin Jefferson be next?
The Vikings' superstar receiver first became eligible for an extension this offseason. Even though he still has two years left on his rookie deal, the price will likely only go up if the team waits until next offseason to work out what will inevitably be a record-breaking contract.
Recently, a report from SI's Albert Breer indicated that the Vikings are making an effort to get this thing done before the 2023 campaign begins.
On Thursday, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah repeated the message he's given before when talking about Jefferson — that he wants him to be in Minnesota for a long, long time.
"Do you anticipate, for your next trick, getting Justin Jefferson signed?" a reporter asked Adofo-Mensah.
"I would hardly call these tricks," said the Vikings' GM, smiling. "These are long processes where you try to make some precise calculations on how to fit everything together. I try not to get into private conversations with people, but we've said it and we'll continue to say, Justin's somebody we want around here for a really long time. We're going to do everything we can to do that. Whenever that happens, it'll be a great day for the Vikings and a great day for Justin."
It makes sense that the Jefferson deal is a little more complicated than Hockenson's was. There's an extra year left on the rookie contract that comes into play, and instead of a contract in $16-17 million range, this one will be worth at least $30 million per year.
If it's going to get done before Week 1, the clock is ticking.
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