On Saturday, April 6, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report claimed that Jefferson will not only get the largest contract for a wide receiver in NFL history, but that he would also surpass the previous record by $30 million in overall value by signing a five-year deal totaling $170 million this summer.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano claimed in early March that Jefferson is almost certain to become the highest-paid wide receiver in league history.
“Jefferson is certain to set the top of the receiver market whenever he signs, and his deal will undoubtedly pay him more.
In March 2022, Davante Adams signed a five-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders worth a total of $140 million ($28 million per year), the highest number ever associated with a receiver deal. Tyreek Hill signed a four-year contract with the Miami Dolphins for $120 million, the biggest annual average pay ever paid to a wide receiver by an NFL team.
Ballentine anticipated a five-year, $170 million contract for Jefferson, which would be $30 million more than Adams’ overall agreement and $4 million more yearly ($34 million per year) than Hill’s contract in South Florida.
Another, and possibly more crucial, option for Jefferson to achieve history is by obtaining the greatest total guaranteed money of any receiver ever. Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams received a $75 million guarantee on his three-year, $80.1 million contract in June 2022.
Should Jefferson sign the contract Ballentine projected, it is almost clear that it will include more than $75 million in total guarantees based just on the size of the overall sum. In today’s negotiation market, NFL players of all positions desire more guaranteed money as part of their contracts, and Cousins — Jefferson’s former colleague — has been one of the more successful athletes in this respect over the previous decade.
Jefferson, a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro in just four seasons, is unlikely to use any additional leverage to extract a historic deal from Minnesota. However, Cousins’ departure to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency and the Vikings’ draft position later this month have combined to provide him with some opportunities.
Minnesota has the rights to picks 11 and 23, which it may combine with a future first-round pick to move up the board into the top five and draft a franchise quarterback. The New England Patriots (No. 3), Arizona Cardinals (No. 4), and Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5) are all potential trade partners with whom the Vikings can try to reach an agreement.
At the present, it is unknown who Minnesota’s top choice(s) would be, although J.J. McCarthy of Michigan and Drake Maye of North Carolina are the most likely to stay available in the pick Nos. 3-5 bracket, according to various ESPN insiders’ mock drafts.
The public has no idea who Jefferson prefers, but it defies logic to believe that the Vikings coaching staff and front office will not confer with Jefferson on the decision-making process before selection night on April 26.
