The Minnesota Vikings and star wide receiver Justin Jefferson have agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension that includes $110 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN. The deal makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
The deal, which was negotiated by WME Football, includes $88.743 million due at signing. The Vikings announced Monday morning that Jefferson agreed to an extension that runs through the 2028 season but did not disclose financial terms.
“The time has finally come. The deal I’ve been waiting for since I was a little kid,” Jefferson said in a video posted to Instagram. “Being doubted my whole career. Not being highly recruited. Not being the first receiver off the draft board. This whole journey wasn’t easy for me. … To be given a gift to play football at the highest level, it’s a blessing. It’s an honor.”
Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a statement that Jefferson has “earned this contract, and we are thrilled he will remain a Minnesota Viking for a very long time.”
Jefferson, who turns 25 later this month, will now lead the Vikings into their next generation of offense after they replaced quarterback Kirk Cousins with free agent Sam Darnold and first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy this offseason.
Jefferson set an NFL record for most receiving yards in the first three seasons of a career (4,825) and then eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2023 despite missing seven games (and parts of two others) because of injuries. His 1,074 yards in 2023 were the most ever by an NFL player who had played 10 or fewer games in a season.
