It was never a matter of if — it was always when. The Minnesota Vikings made Justin Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL on Monday, resetting the wide receiver market and besting San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa with a four-year, $140 million contract that includes $110 million guaranteed. It averages out to $35 million per year for the 24-year-old.
4 yards per game, he will reach Moss' receiving yards numbers in his ninth season, just one more year beyond his current contract. That's bonkers. Now, injury and various factors make that a convoluted projection, of course, but there are advanced metrics that suggest Jefferson has been more productive than he was supposed to be. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Jefferson has the most of any player with at least 250 targets of 1,270 receiving yards over expectation.