Justin Jefferson’s ‘No Fluff’ Contract Details Revealed + Vikings Future Salary Cap Outlook

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Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

The long wait for the Minnesota Vikings to extend Justin Jefferson’s contract is officially over. The Vikings have finally come to an agreement with the superstar wide receiver, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings’ fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief with a new future that will feature Jefferson as the cornerstone of the franchise, and a constant security blanket for their QB of the future, J.J. McCarthy.

Justin Jefferson Contract extension details

On June 3, 2024, a day that will live in Minnesota Vikings infamy, Justin Jefferson signed his record breaking extension. The deal consists of four new years where he’s scheduled to collect $140 million, if completed (more on that momentarily).

It includes $110 million in total guarantees, but that number can be deceiving, since it counts money that may not guarantee until down the road.

Jefferson is getting $88.743 fully guaranteed at signing. The practical guarantee, however, is $95.743 million. The only way Justin wouldn’t collect that number is if he’s cut next offseason (which isn’t going to happen). The full details of Jefferson’s contract are finally released as well.

Per Spotrac, the full details of the contract include:

  • Four years, $140 million in new money
  • Five years, $159.7 million total
  • $88.7 million guaranteed at signing
  • $38 million cash in 2024
  • $110 million guaranteed over the course of the contract

Jefferson’s cap hits per year:

  • 2024: $8.5 million
  • 2025: $15.3 million
  • 2026: $39.1 million
  • 2027: $43.4 million
  • 2028: $47.3 million
  • 2029: $6 million (dead money / void year)

Related: Justin Jefferson’s Message to Vikings Fans: “We Ain’t Done Yet, Just Wait.”

According to Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk), there’s no fluff or any major backloading in this new deal. When all is said and done, Florio expects the soon to be 25-year-old Jefferson to make nearly $126 million over the next four years, before it will make a lot of sense for both sides to get something new on the books.

At that time, he will be entering his 29-year-old season. If JJ were to see the entire contract out, he would make just under $160 million months before he turns 30 on June 16, 2029.

It’s far more likely he’ll definitely be paid $125.743 million over four years, since $14.257 million of his year-four pay becomes fully guaranteed after only two years.

Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk

Minnesota Vikings’ future salary cap situation looks bright

With this amount of money, some Vikings’ fans may be wondering if this will inhibit the team from being able to spend in free agency in future years. The short answer to that is, it shouldn’t. The Minnesota Vikings salary cap books should be in the black, even with a massive contract extension for left tackle Christian Darrisaw on the horizon next offseason.

Of course, all this cap cash to spend is in large part due to J.J. McCarthy’s rookie contract and the cap maneuvering of capologist Rob Brzezinski and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Looking at the Minnesota Vikings’ cap space, the team is in excellent financial health. Over the next three seasons, which includes this season, the Vikings still have $27.5 million available for this season, over $60 million in 2025 and nearly $170 million available in 2026.

  • 2024: $27.5 million (8th)
  • 2025: $63.8 million (9th)
  • 2026: $169.3 million (13th)

This is a lot to work with, especially in 2025 and 2026. Of course, the Vikings plan to fill that up partially with extensions for other current players and future free agent signings. Nonetheless, they should have plenty of money to reward those who players who perform well and be aggressive hunting for new talent on the open market.

Related: Josh McCown Has Faith in “Much More Mature” Sam Darnold

Adofo-Mensah has done a terrific job of cleaning up the Minnesota Vikings’ financial books. Tough decisions have been made, but in the grand scheme of things, this team appears to have a very bright future. One thing is for certain, that bright future will include cornerstone wide receiver and face of the franchise Justin Jefferson.

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