Vikings Refuse to Give Justin Jefferson a Cousins Contract, Insider Reveals.
The Minnesota Vikings created history in 2018 by signing Kirk Cousins to the league’s first fully guaranteed contract, but they are unwilling to do the same for Justin Jefferson.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who appeared on KFAN with Vikings announcer Paul Allen, praised Jefferson for his patience during his continuing extension talks with the organization.
Florio, who spent time with Jefferson before to and following his conversation with the Vikings star during Super Bowl week, highlighted concerns about the talks. He claims the Vikings are trying Jefferson’s patience by refusing to give him more guarantees in his next contract.
“They are playing with fire here on multiple fronts between Justin Jefferson, whose patience is eventually going to run out,” Florio said in a statement. “I can certainly tell that J.J. is incredibly patient, but his patience has limits, and the problem remains the structure, not the bucks.
“The Vikings are one of the few organizations who will not provide full guarantees beyond the first year of a contract for anyone other than Kirk Cousins. If you don’t make the same exemption for Justin Jefferson, you’ll have an issue with him later,” Florio said.
Florio went on to say that the Vikings’ approach on guarantees is top-down. He asked the owners to rethink.
“It’s not the money; it’s the structure. Fans must keep ownership accountable. The Wilfs set these policies. They don’t want to guarantee full pay beyond the first year of that contract for any position other than quarterback,” Florio added. “You need to make the exception.”
Jefferson has the opportunity to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, but securing a deal with the most guarantees by a non-quarterback may be more important than the reported contract value.
Meanwhile, Cousins has signed three fully guaranteed contracts in six years in Minnesota and hopes to do the same this offseason, whether with the Vikings or another team.
Justin Jefferson Must Know the Vikings’ Plan at QB Before Signing Contract
However, determining who will be throwing Jefferson the ball in the near and long term may be more vital to finalizing a deal.
On February 11, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said that Jefferson “is a Cousins fan and will want to know the quarterback plan before signing on for the long haul.”
While Jefferson has stated that he supports the Vikings’ decision to bring Cousins back, it is not a dealbreaker for him to re-sign with the Vikings.
Kirk Cousins ‘Keeping an Eye on’ Steelers, Falcons in Free Agency
Before the NFL’s unofficial legal tampering event, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio revealed on February 14 that Cousins’ camp is interested in the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are more likely to invest on a veteran quarterback this summer.
When asked to explain that the Cousins camp hopes the Steelers make an offer to him, Florio said there is a “acknowledgement” that an offer could come Cousins’ way when the legal free agency tampering window opens two days before free agency.
“The Falcons and the Steelers are the two teams that I think the Cousins camp is keeping an eye on,” he said.
