The Minnesota Vikings are in a position that is not enviable by any other NFL team. They do not have a bonified starting quarterback under contract for next season, and the ones they do have played poorly last season. Kirk Cousins is a free agent and wants to return to Minnesota, but he will be expensive, even coming off of an Achilles tear.
Even if the Vikings do not re-sign Cousins, he will count for $28.5 million against their 2024 salary cap thanks to a void year that was added to his contract. Re-signing him could lower this number in 2024, but would make future spending difficult.
The reality of the situation is that the Vikings have more needs than they can afford to address. As complicated as the situation is, it is even more dire with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson entering his fifth year in the NFL. Of course, he is playing on his fifth year option this upcoming season, but extending him beyond 2024 is going to be difficult.
So difficult, in fact, that many around the league believe Minnesota may be forced to trade him.
Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson Will Fetch More than $30 Million per Season
When discussing what Jefferson would be able to get in free agency, one must look at the contracts of Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders. Hill is playing on a four-year deal that pays him $120 million ($30 million annually) with $72.2 million guaranteed. Adams is playing on a five-year $140 million deal ($28 million annually) with $65.7 million guaranteed.
The key is the guaranteed money. The Vikings do not want to guarantee any money past the first year of a possible new contract. That will not work for Jefferson, who is seeking a contract as close to 100% guaranteed that he can get. If the Vikings will not compromise on the guaranteed money, Jefferson is as good as gone in free agency come 2025.
Of course, the option is there to use the franchise tag on him, but that has not worked out well for teams in the past (see: Adams being tagged by the Green Bay Packers).
NFL Analyst Believes the Minnesota Vikings Will Look to Trade Justin Jefferson
According to Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated:
“Facing the possibility of a wide receiver who will cost well over $30 million per season, with a percentage of guaranteed money nearing 100, the Vikings will look at a barren roster and wonder what else they can do to generate some capital. The Vikings need to add more than a handful of solid starters if they hope to compete in the near future. They also need to consider the possibility of drafting a quarterback high in the first round, and what it would cost them to move up.”
On the bright side, Minnesota still has Jordan Addison under contract for at least the next four years (including his fifth-year option). Still, it is small consolation if they were to lose the best wide receiver the franchise has had since Randy Moss because they mismanaged their salary cap.
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