Vikings GM discussing Justin Jefferson contract will have ears perking up

As Justin Jefferson enters the final year of his rookie contract, there has been rampant speculation about his future with the Minnesota Vikings. Will the Vikings extend him after letting Kirk Cousins walk, or is Jefferson going to start a new chapter elsewhere?

We appear to have our answer. While Jefferson hasn't officially inked a new contract with Minnesota, the Vikings' front office is confident about getting a deal across the finish line. Speaking with reporters after the NFL Draft, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was open about the ongoing "process" and why Minnesota decided to hit pause around the draft.

"We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives. 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." (via Kevin Seifert, ESPN)

This is all incredibly encouraging for Minnesota fans. Adofo-Mensah dubs Jefferson the "king linchpin" and sets the ground for an extended celebration period if — or perhaps more accurately, when — Jefferson signs his new deal.

Justin Jefferson extension with Vikings sounds like a done deal

It's not over until the ink dries, of course, but the Vikings can hardly justify not re-upping Jefferson. He is the most productive WR in football at 24 years old, with a long prime window ahead of him and the chance to carve out a special niche in NFL history with the Vikings.

Jefferson had the luxury of coming up next to Cousins in the Vikings offense, but Minnesota's QB next season — whether it's Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy, or a combination of both — should be good enough to get the ball in Jefferson's hands. Once he makes a catch with momentum in the open field, Jefferson is exceedingly difficult to bring down. He can make a mediocre QB look good.

The Vikings still have all the infrastructure to contend. The Cousins injury was a death knell last season, but Minnesota needs only passable production from its new QB room to unlock Kevin O'Connell's explosive offense. The defense, even sans Danielle Hunter, should prove fearsome enough in the NFC North.

It won't get easier in the division. The Detroit Lions are Super Bowl contenders, maybe even Super Bowl favorites. The Green Bay Packers aren't far behind. The Chicago Bears, meanwhile, knocked the draft out of the park and appear to have a real chance to explode onto the scene with Caleb Williams at the helm. Despite the tough competition, however, the Vikings are built sustainably. Jefferson is at the center of their long-term plans, and it doesn't sound like there's much risk of talks going awry.

We are essentially counting down the days at this point. We just don't know the exact number of days until Jefferson is signed to what could be the most lucrative WR contract in league history.