The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly exercised the fifth-year option on All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson's rookie contract for the 2024 season, a source with knowledge of the situation told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Tuesday (April 25).
"The #Vikings have officially exercised the fifth-year option for star WR Justin Jefferson, source said, perhaps the biggest no-brainer on earth (only slight hyperbole)," Rapoport tweeted.
Jefferson, 24, led all NFL players with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards -- which was the sixth-highest average total in league history -- as well as eight touchdowns, winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, among several other awards, during the NFL Honors ceremony last month. The former LSU standout has recorded 4,824 yards, which is the most ever recorded by a receiver through their first three NFL seasons.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters that signing Jefferson to a long-term extension it was a "high-priority" while speaking to reporters during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February.
"I don't want to be the Vikings' GM without that guy on our team," Adofo-Mensah said when asked about signing Jefferson to a long-term deal. "So it's a high priority. We've got to make sure we do in the order that we can do it in, obviously, given all of our other decisions we have to make."
The two sides have yet to reach a deal, which Jefferson said he wasn't worried about earlier in the offseason.
"I mean, if it comes, it comes. It comes with the success. It's not really something that I'm really worried about or I have my mind set on," Jefferson said when asked about a potential massive new contract via ESPN.
"That's not my decision," he added when asked if he deserved to be the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. "It is what it is. They pay me whatever they pay me. They don't even really have to give me an extension this year. It is what it is. It's not really something that I'm really worried about."
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