One superstar wide receiver who seems to be set for a massive payday is three-time Pro Bowler Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, who is arguably the best player in the game at this position.
Although Jefferson is coming off a season marred by injuries where he only played in 10 games, the consensus around the league is that he’s the NFL’s elite player at wideout and more than deserving of resetting the market for players at his position.
That said, it seemed like only a matter of time before Jefferson would sign a contract extension with the Vikings, but nothing has gotten done, which has led to speculation that he could be a training camp holdout.
One indication that he could be holding out for a new deal, and understandably so, is that he didn’t show up for the team’s voluntary offseason program, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, entering the last year of a contract that is scheduled to pay him $19.74 million this season, also is not present for the start of his team’s voluntary off-season program today. https://t.co/wE6Z14Vv8m pic.twitter.com/YuabOfBBZF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 15, 2024
As Schefter pointed out, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys is in the same situation and isn’t expected to report to his team either in hopes of signing a new lucrative long-term deal sooner rather than later.
With big-name players like this trying to sign new deals at the same time, it could be a matter of one waiting on the other in order to sign for more once the bar is set for top-tier wide receivers.
Only time will tell what happens with Jefferson and Lamb and which player ends up signing the biggest deal and setting the market for wide receivers moving forward.
NEXT:
Analyst Warns Vikings About Jim Harbaugh Ahead Of The Draft