Vikings are about to press play on new Justin Jefferson contract talks

The Minnesota Vikings, much like their 31 counterparts, were busy this past week, trying to bring in the top prospects from college football. They completed their goal of finding a young quarterback by trading up to select Michigan's J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. The seven picks later, the Vikings negotiated a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.

Overall, it was a strong draft for the Vikings. Now, they have to get back to business. While they do have to prepare for the upcoming season, they also have to find a way to keep their superstar Justin Jefferson. The wide receiver is entering the final year of his contract and will likely reset the market for the position.

VIkings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah revealed that the plan is for the two sides to return to contract talks. Adofo-Mensah revealed that the two sides hit the pause button due in part to the NFL Draft last week,. and wanting Jefferson to have the spotlight so to speak. Now, they're ready to talk again.

"We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives," Adofo-Mensah said, h/t ESPN. "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.

"Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week. 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."

Vikings ready to return to contract talks with WR Justin Jefferson

Agreeing to terms on a new deal will be a bit difficult, considering Jefferson expressed his desire to "break the bank" earlier this offseason. Well, the price tag to lock in star wide receivers has only increased.

On Apr. 15, the Philadelphia Eagles signed wide receiver DeVonta Smith to a three-year, $75 million contract. On Apr. 24, the Detroit Lions and Amon-Ra St. Brown agreed to terms on a four-year, $120 million extension. Then, just before the start of the first round of the NFL Draft, the Eagles signed A.J. Brown to a three-year, $96 million contract extension.

So, as you can see, the price to lock in a top wide receiver is getting more expensive after each signing. That bodes well for Jefferson, who has proven to be the top pass-catcher in the game since entering the NFL as a first-round pick out of LSU. After all, he did record 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons in the NFL, even this past season when he missed six games due to injury.

The Vikings may want to get a deal done soon, as Jefferson's classmate, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys, is also due for a new contract after the 2024 season. But based on Adofo-Mensah's comments, he is confident that they can strike a deal.