Why Justin Jefferson contract talks with the Vikings took a break

The Minnesota Vikings were one of the stars of the show throughout the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings made a handful of exciting moves around the board and landed two of the most talked about players in the first round. Apparently, the 2024 NFL Draft put a pause to the ongoing contract negotiations between Justin Jefferson and the Vikings.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the break was not related to any impasse and the two sides continue to make progress.

“We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The process is still ongoing. We did say, ‘Hey, [let’s pause] a couple days.’ The draft’s coming. They have players they represent. We have our process.”

Pausing around draft time makes a ton of sense for all parties. Jefferson gets to see who the Vikings draft before making any final decisions, the Vikings can solely focus on the draft, and Jefferson’s agents can devote more time to their rookies throughout the draft process.

“Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week,” Adofo-Mensah said. “You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We’re excited to work towards it. We’re going to keep going. You can’t have all these plans when you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we’re going to keep working toward that end goal.”

Contract negotiations have been ongoing for more than a year. Adofo-Mensah previously said that the two sides came “unbelievably close” to a deal this past summer, but couldn’t get it done. Now the price will be higher after Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown both signed lucrative contract extensions this offseason.

Recapping the 2024 NFL Draft for the Minnesota Vikings