With contract with Minnesota Vikings done, Justin Jefferson’s focus is on being “the best player to ever do it”

EAGAN, Minn. — With Justin Jefferson’s massive contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings now completed, he’s got another goal in mind.

“Of course I want to be holding that gold jacket … when my career is all over with,” Jefferson said during a news conference about the deal on Tuesday. “I want to be the best player to ever do it.”

He’s well on his way there. No wide receiver in NFL history compiled more yards through his first four seasons than Jefferson’s 5,899. He also has more yards per game (98.3) than any other receiver, averaging 12 more than second-place Calvin Johnson. Throw in an Offensive Player of the Year award, three All-Pro nods and a top-five finish in MVP voting and it’s not hard to justify the Vikings giving him “the highest contract for a non-QB in NFL history,” according to them.

“I truly think he’s one of the brightest stars in all of professional sports,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said, adding Jefferson has had one of the “more remarkable starts to a career that our game has really seen, especially at the receiver position.”

The Vikings haven’t released the exact numbers behind Jefferson’s deal, but said it’s a four-year extension, which would keep him in Minnesota through 2028. For the 24-year-old Jefferson, the massive money represents a step up in his status on the team.

“This is the start of a lot. This is something I’ve been waiting for and now being a leader of this team and carrying myself a different way,” he said. “I’m going to be on everyone butt, I’m going to be on everyone hard and I’m going to make sure that I’m the leader of this team and we’re working to where we want to go, which is a world championship.”

Jefferson will now have a new quarterback joining him on that quest. Whether it’s this year or down the line, rookie passer J.J. McCarthy is the future of the Vikings’ offense. Jefferson likes what he’s seen so far. 

“I talked to J.J. as soon as he got drafted, I told him confidence is key,” Jefferson said. “Of course having J.J. into the building, a new energy, a new soul, I love his confidence, I love his attitude and of course him coming off a championship, you can’t have any more confidence than that.”

Despite offseason rumors about trades and stalled negotiations, Jefferson and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah both said there was no doubt from either side about this deal getting done. 

“Obviously we’ve had a pretty big offseason, but this day, this move was something that was foundational to everything we’re going to be as a team this season and going forward,” Adofo-Mensah said.

That “pretty big offseason” included a quarterback change, an overhaul of the defense and the addition of a new offensive weapon in former Green Bay Packer running back Aaron Jones. But Jefferson’s extension is by far the most important move the Vikings have made, and he knows it.

“I feel like we’re on a great path,” Jefferson said. “Just with locking me in for five more years. I’ve been telling all of them they’re going to get the best out of me, every single practice, every single game.”