Report: No Contract Extension Expected For Justin Jefferson Before Sunday

The Vikings and superstar receiver Justin Jefferson are not expected to reach an agreement on a contract extension before Sunday's kickoff, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Both sides made a strong effort to get a deal done," Schefter said, "but the plan now is to revisit after the season."

Even after a long offseason of negotiations, it appears that the Vikings and Jefferson's camp couldn't get a deal done. Jefferson is seeking a contract that will make him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, with a real-money average annual value north of $30 million per year (not a backloaded deal that is bigger on paper than in reality).

It's not the end of the world that the two sides couldn't agree to terms this year. Jefferson still has two years left on his rookie contract, including the fifth-year option in 2024. After that, he could theoretically be tagged. The Vikings won't want it to get to that point, though. Next spring, they'll look to get Jefferson signed to an extension instead of letting him enter the final year of his contract, much like the 49ers just did with Nick Bosa — who was drafted one year before Jefferson was.

At the same time, getting a deal done this year would've been the ideal outcome. If Jefferson balls out again in 2023, the price is only going to go up. Plus, there's a chance things could start to get more serious over the course of next offseason if the two sides still can't reach an agreement.

Jefferson and the Vikings kick off the 2023 campaign against the Buccaneers on Sunday.

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