Skip to content
Sign In Subscribe
Vikings — Howie Sports

Vikings exercise 5th-year option on Justin Jefferson

,   and  Howie
1 min read
Justin Jefferson. Andy Kenutis / Vikings

By Craig Peters

EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings leadership has said multiple times they envision Justin Jefferson being with Minnesota for the long haul.

The team opted to exercise the fifth-year option on the 2020 first-round pick Tuesday, meaning he'll be under contract at least through the 2024 season.

The move buys additional time for the Vikings to work out a longer-term deal with the three-time Pro Bowler and 2022 First-Team All-Pro.

Jefferson has increased his production every season, going from 88 receptions for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie to 108 catches for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021.

Last season, he led the NFL with 128 receptions, 1,809 yards and 106.4 receiving yards per game, setting Vikings single-season records for catches (topping Cris Carter) and receiving yards (topping Randy Moss).

Fifth-year option salaries are determined by the player's position, the spot from which they were drafted and performance benchmarks, including making two Pro Bowls during a player's first contract.

Comments

Related

Sports

Howie: Vikings burning it down

That’s the tragedy of this season — it’s not the losing, it’s the lying. Every move is sold as “strategic.” Every mistake is “part of the process.” Every loss is “valuable learning.” It’s a corporate PowerPoint in shoulder pads. This isn’t football anymore. It’s asset management in cleats.

Members Public
Sports

Howie: Three wins, two QBs, one big mess

That’s Vikings football. Never boring, rarely logical, always exhausting. The highs, the lows, the quarterback merry-go-round, the running game that doesn’t exist, the offensive line held together with medical tape — it’s the same play, different actors.

Members Public
Vikings

Vikings rally late to beat Browns in London

LONDON (HH) — Carson Wentz threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison with 25 seconds left, lifting the Minnesota Vikings over the Cleveland Browns 21-17 on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Vikings drove 80 yards on the winning possession after a game marked by turnovers and missed chances. Cleveland

Members Public

Latest

Sports

Howie: Vikings burning it down

That’s the tragedy of this season — it’s not the losing, it’s the lying. Every move is sold as “strategic.” Every mistake is “part of the process.” Every loss is “valuable learning.” It’s a corporate PowerPoint in shoulder pads. This isn’t football anymore. It’s asset management in cleats.

Members Public
Sports

Howie: Bulldogs, Viktor Plante, Mirage, Jason Watt

There’s something quietly magnetic about Jason Watt on a Bulldogs hockey broadcast. He’s not trying to sound like anyone else. He doesn’t force energy or jargon. He just explains the game — clearly, comfortably, and with the kind of authenticity that comes only from having lived it.

Members Public
Sports

Howie: C.J. Ham’s clock is ticking

The likeliest play is a polite handshake extension — one year, maybe two, at something closer to $2 million per. A team-friendly, locker-room-cred deal.

Members Public