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Carmen Vitali
NFC North Reporter
Justin Jefferson stepped out of a white Mercedes Maybach in the bowels of a nondescript stadium. His Louis Vuitton sneakers hit the ground first. His pearl-laden brown sweats swished as he walked through the tunnel and into the arena. The wide receiver was out and about, posting on social media without a care in the world.
This wouldn’t really have been a big deal, save for the fact that Jefferson’s own team has simultaneously started voluntary offseason workouts, without Jefferson in attendance.
What makes this an even bigger story is that Jefferson is due a new contract by the Minnesota Vikings. The former Offensive Player of the Year is just 24 years old and has been a bargain for Minnesota on his rookie deal. Jefferson’s cap hit was just over $4 million last season. Even in his fifth year on the exercised option, Jefferson is scheduled to make $19.7 million in 2024. While that’s nothing to snuff at, it puts him as the 12th highest-paid receiver when it comes to cap hit. At that salary, he’s behind players like Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk and Washington’s Terry McLaurin — neither of whom have OPOY or All-Pro honors under their belts.
Jefferson only played in 10 games last season and yet he still had over 1,000 receiving yards. His career average per game is 98.3 yards. He has a 68.1 percent catch rate. In his last full season, which was his best, he led the league in both receptions and receiving yards.
There is no doubt what he means to the Minnesota Vikings.
So, what’s taking so long?
Jefferson became eligible for an extension over a calendar year ago. The wide receiver bubble doesn’t seem like it’s bursting any time soon, either. Had the Vikings extended Jefferson last offseason, they could have potentially gotten him under contract for under $30 million. Miami’s Tyreek Hill became the first receiver to be paid $30 million annually right at that point, according to average…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/justin-jefferson-wants-paid-vikings-have-multiple-incentives-do-so
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Publish date : 2024-05-22 16:42:28
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