MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (WAFB) – The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with superstar wideout Justin Jefferson on a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jefferson has agreed to a four-year extension worth $140 million.
The deal includes $88.7 million due at signing, Schefter said.
Jefferson was selected by Minnesota in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and has been putting up monster numbers ever since.
Despite suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out of seven full games in the 2023 season, Jefferson was still able to record more than 1,000 yards receiving.
In 2022, Jefferson had the greatest season of his career when he became the youngest player in NFL history to lead the league in both yards and receptions, which earned him the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.
The All-Pro wide receiver has overtaken four franchise records, including surpassing Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss for receptions and yards in a single season. Jefferson also holds the NFL record for the most receiving yards in an NFL player’s first four seasons (5,927).
This summer, Jefferson will be featured in “Receiver,” a Netflix documentary series following NFL pass catchers. It’s the successor to “Quarterback,” in which former Viking Kirk Cousins starred.
Jefferson will be catching passes from a new quarterback this season after Cousins joined the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. The Vikings signed former first round pick Sam Darnold as a stopgap and drafted J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan with the 10th overall pick in April.
This is the second big contract for a Vikings pass catcher in two years. Last offseason, the team signed tight end T.J. Hockenson to a multi-year contract extension. Hockenson, 26, was acquired during the 2022 season from the Detroit Lions. Minnesota sent Detroit a second-round pick.
Hockenson’s deal is reportedly a four-year contract worth $68.5 million. The $17.125 million annual average and $42.5 million in guarantees set the market for tight ends.
The Vikings kick off the season Sept. 8 on the road against the New York Giants.
