Minnesota Vikings sign star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to four-year extension, making him the highest paid non-QB in NFL

By Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) — The Minnesota Vikings announced on Monday that they had signed their star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a four-year extension.

Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the Vikings did say that the contract sets a record for non-quarterbacks in the NFL.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the four-year deal is worth $140 million, including $110 million guaranteed.

The reported $35 million per year which Jefferson will earn takes him past the $34 million San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is making annually to make him the highest earning non-quarterback player in the league, per Spotrac.

In a post on his social media accounts, Jefferson described the contract extension as “the deal I have been waiting for since I was a little kid.”

“To my mom and dad, thank you. This is a journey for all of us, and y’all are still with us every step of the way,” Jefferson added. “To my brothers, Rickey and Jordan, y’all are everything. Y’all made me who I am today. This is a new step in our journey, a new step in life. I always dreamed of this moment and to now share it with all of y’all – a dream that we all had, it’s a blessing.”

Jefferson’s signing ends a period of uncertainty over his long-term future in Minnesota, with questions percolating about whether the organization might move on from the wide receiver following the conclusion of last season.

Since being drafted by the team in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jefferson has become one of the most dominant at his position.

He has 392 receptions for 5,899 yards and 30 touchdowns in his four years in the league.

The 24-year-old is one of five players ever with 5,000-plus receiving yards in his first four seasons. His 98.3 receiving yards per game is the most in NFL history with a minimum of 50 games, per the NFL.

In 2022, Jefferson really broke out as a star, leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards on his way to being named the Offensive Player of the Year.

He was a First-Team All-Pro in 2022 and was named on the Second Team in 2020 and 2021.

“Over the first four seasons of his career, Justin entrenched himself as the best wide receiver and one of the most electric players in the NFL,” Minnesota owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a statement.

“He is a special talent, a committed teammate and an excellent representative of the Vikings. Justin has earned this contract, and we are thrilled he will remain a Minnesota Viking for a very long time.”

Although Jefferson has yet to have much playoff success so far, the drafting of rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy in this year’s draft could turn that around in the near future.

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