Receiver Justin Jefferson has made the Pro Bowl all three seasons since the Vikings drafted him in the first round. He made All-Pro this season and is among the favorites for offensive player of the year.
Jefferson also now is eligible for a (BIG) contract extension.
Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Wednesday the team has started contract negotiations with Jefferson.
“I wouldn’t use the word challenge,” Adofo-Mensah said, via NFL Media. “You got a special player, a special person. Those aren’t problems, or at least those are ‘champagne problems.’ We’ll start there.
“Yeah, we’ve had initial dialogue with him, his agent, all those things. We can factor that into the planning, but again it really starts from the player, the person, and we’ll work out solutions from there on.”
Jefferson is under contract for 2023 for $2.399 million, and the Vikings will pick up his fifth-year option for 2024 this spring. Both sides likely would prefer to do a deal sooner than later.
Jefferson, the league’s best receiver in 2022, will become the league’s highest-paid receiver when he gets an extension.
Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill currently is the league’s highest-paid at the position, having signed a four-year, $120 million extension in March that includes $72.2 million guaranteed.
