Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is not expected to sign a contract extension before the team's season opener, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Talks on a deal between the Vikings and Jefferson aren't expected to pick up again until the end of the season despite a “strong effort” from both sides to get it done before Week 1.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year has two years left on his current deal which he inked as a rookie in 2020. Minnesota picked up Jefferson's fifth-year option in April, which means he is set to earn $19.7 million in the final year of his contract during the 2024 season.
"Of course, I would want a contract to be done," Jefferson told reporters on Thursday. "But at the end of the day, it is all up to them and what the ownership wants to do with that."
The 24-year-old has put up 4,825 receiving yards in the first three years of his career which is more than any player in NFL history. The Vikings have him under contract for two more years and could use the franchise tag on him in 2025 if they can't get him signed to a deal before then.
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