The most pressing item on the Vikings’ offseason checklist was to hammer out a Justin Jefferson extension. Before the season began on September 10th, the team didn’t get a contract together for their star wideout; one wonders if the failed extension will hover over the season, especially given the inauspicious start.
Indeed, the team is making the bold decision to venture into 2023 without a Jefferson deal that keeps him in town throughout the remainder of his prime. The 5th-year option provides some assurances for 2024, but the team is accepting a decent amount of risk. What happens if Jefferson grows tired of waiting for a new deal as he sees his colleagues from the 2020 NFL Draft — Joe Burrow, Andrew Thomas, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Nick Bosa — get massive deals from their teams?