Having solidified himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL from the moment he stepped on the field, Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson has finally been paid as such.
Let’s examine Jefferson’s contract, salary, net worth, and career earnings.
Justin Jefferson’s Contract and Salary
Following a handful of other wide receiver extensions, Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million deal that averages $35 million per year.
The contract included $110 million guaranteed for practical purposes and $88.7 million fully guaranteed at signing. There was also a $36.9 million signing bonus.
With a year left on his deal before the big money starts flowing in, Jefferson will have a $1.125 million base salary in 2024 and a signing proration of $7.387 million. He will have a cap hit of $8.5 million.
Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, and he’s now the highest-paid receiver in the league.
Jefferson’s $35 million annual salary tops San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa’s $34 million as the highest for a non-QB in the NFL. Furthermore, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $88.743 million due at signing, the highest non-QB guarantee at signing in NFL history.
“I would not be in this position if not for my family and their support. I’m so thankful for them instilling a foundational gratitude and competitive fire within me,” Jefferson said in a statement following his new deal, which keeps him in Minnesota through 2028.
Something that once was a dream is now my reality. There are so many people that I can sit here and thank but you all know who you are that helped me along the way. But we ain’t stopping here…. There’s more to be done… SKOL!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/q2Q6YUPAWH
— JJETS✈️ (@JJettas2) June 3, 2024
“Something that once was a dream is now my reality. There are so many people that I can sit here and thank but you all know who you are that helped me along the way. But we ain’t stopping here…. There’s more to be done… SKOL!!!!!!!”
After 2024, Jefferson’s deal will start to bring in a lot of money. His base salary will be $1.17 million in 2025, but that will jump to $24.99 million, $29.25 million, and $33.24 million in 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively. Jefferson will also have a $7.387 million signing proration each year.
Additionally, Jefferson’s cap hits will go from $15.3 million in 2025 to $39.1 million, $43.39 million, and $47.3 million from 2026-28.
Jefferson’s Net Worth and Career Earnings
While Jefferson will make most of his money in his new deal, his current net worth is approximately $9-10 million.
Throughout the course of his NFL career, Jefferson has earned $51,861,172.
This is from his NFL contracts alone, as it doesn’t factor in his various endorsements or off-field endeavors.
In addition to his NFL contracts, Jefferson has signed a handful of endorsements with companies like Under Armour, Campbell’s Soup, Angelus, Optimum Nutrition, Courtyard Hotels, Lids, Sleep Number, and Little Caesars.
Rams vs. Vikings Game Preview
- Location: Glendale, Arizona; State Farm Field
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Channel: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+
Now, Jefferson will try to lead the Vikings to a win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.
The winner of this game will travel to face the No. 2 seeded Philadelphia Eagles, who easily defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10 in their Wild Card game.
With this being a neutral site game due to the Los Angeles wildfires, the Rams cannot rely on home-field advantage. Away from SoFi Stadium this year, the Rams are 5-3, and they did play once at State Farm Stadium back in Week 2 when they lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 41-10.
The Rams have been playing really great football lately, winning five straight before falling in a meaningless game against the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale, where key players earned much-needed rest.
The Vikings fell from potentially being the No. 1 overall seed to the No. 5 seed when they lost the season finale to the Lions. That game saw Minnesota’s offense stall in the red zone, settling for multiple field goals, as Darnold had one of his worst outings of the year.
Pro Football Network’s OFF+ metric sees this as a top-15 matchup, and there could be potential for many points on Monday night. The Rams are ranked No. 11, and the Vikings are No. 13.
The Rams have a pair of elite receivers — Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua — so counting this team out is irresponsible.
This season, Kyren Williams helped Los Angeles’ offense rank seventh in rushing success rate. The respect Williams demands from opposing defenses has allowed the Rams to rank seventh in third-down avoidance. They constantly operate from ahead of the chains, a common trait of successful offenses.
The passing game hasn’t been the most consistent weekly, leading to a reasonably wide fluctuation in grades. The Rams have four top-five weekly finishes but also four weeks ranking 20th or worse. Still, with Nacua and Kupp healthy, Los Angeles’ upside gives it a fighting chance to win a playoff game for the first time since their Super Bowl 56 victory.
The Vikings have sometimes looked like an elite offensive unit, but several down weeks kept their final ranking outside the top 10. Sam Darnold has affirmatively answered any questions about his ability to lead this team to Super Bowl contention, but Week 18 was a reminder that his floor remains very low.
One of Minnesota’s worst traits this season was the red-zone offense, where they finished 19th in touchdown rate. That reared its ugly head in the division-deciding loss to the Lions, where the Vikings had one success on 14 red-zone plays.
That was the worst red-zone success rate in a game over the last five seasons (min. 10 plays). The passing game finished 10th in success rate, which helped this unit overcome a fairly average rushing game (17th in success rate).
Head coach Kevin O’Connell’s willingness to seek out explosive plays on early downs has helped Darnold avoid difficult situations, as Minnesota avoided third downs at the fifth-highest rate of any offense.
Per Pro Football Network’s Playoff Predictor, with 10,000 simulations, the Rams are an underdog and given just a 43.8% chance of winning against the Vikings.