Dan Graziano: ‘Preaching patience’ key in Justin Jefferson contract talks

The one thing Minnesota Vikings fans want to know is when the Vikings are going to sign star receiver Justin Jefferson to a long-term deal. If you listen to GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, he feels like Minnesota is in a good place with Jefferson, and the deal will have at some point — then Jefferson can have ‘his week’ of fame.

The longer it takes to sign Jefferson, the more worried fans are starting to feel. Will Minnesota blunder the deal and not re-sign the best receiver in all of football?

According to ESPN insider Dan Graziano, fans need to be patient with the Vikings and Jefferson deal. He expects it to happen closer to the season.

“Yeah, it was interesting right before the draft a couple of deals went down: AJ Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown,” said Graziano on NFL Live. “That might help set the floor of the wide receiver extension market, but Jefferson is the ceiling. His deal is going to surpass them all. Likely going to compete with Nick Bosa to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.”

“That deal will take time. There are a number of reasons to think it might happen closer to the season —  obviously, it could happen any minute. The Vikings have a policy with their signing bonus where July 31 is a key date. They might want to wait until after that.”

“And think about the agent, Brian Ayrault, who represents Justin Jefferson. Last year, he represented Joe Burrow and Nick Bosa. Burrow is now the highest-paid player in the league, and Bosa is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Those deals got done pretty close to the start of the [2023] regular season. So I would preach patience on the Justin Jefferson deal.”

Bosa signed his extension on Sept. 6, and Burrow signed his deal on the 7th. That could give you an idea of when the Vikings want to ink Jefferson to a long-term deal.

Story originally appeared on Vikings Wire