What Joe Burrow has to do with Justin Jefferson not signing an extension yet

With the 2024 NFL Draft over and the majority of the major free-agent signings complete, next on the list of offseason priorities for the Minnesota Vikings is agreeing to a contract extension with All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Despite having only four seasons under his belt, Jefferson has already emerged as the best receiver in the entire NFL, and with his rookie deal set to expire in 2025, he's hoping to cash in with a lucrative contract extension from the Vikings before the start of next season.

Some have been wondering why Minnesota and their top pass-catcher haven't been able to agree to a new deal yet this year. But some info that was recently shared by a notable NFL insider might have revealed a better understanding about when Jefferson might sign an extension with the Vikings.

Past Joe Burrow event could repeat itself with Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

During a recent episode of "NFL Live", ESPN's Dan Graziano had the following to say about when we should expect Minnesota and Jefferson to agree to a contract extension this year.

"There's a number of reasons to think [an extension agreement] might take until closer to the season. The Vikings have a policy with their signing bonuses where July 31st is kind of a key date and they might want to wait until after that.

And think about the agent, Brian Ayrault, who represents Justin Jefferson. Last year, he represented Joe Burrow and Nick Bosa. Burrow, now the highest-paid player in the league, Bosa, now the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, and those deals got done pretty close to the start of the [2023] regular season.

So I would preach patience on the Justin Jefferson deal."

Last year, the first reports of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals agreeing to an extension began to pop up on September 7th. As for Nick Bosa, reports of the veteran pass-rusher and the San Francisco 49ers agreeing to a new deal were first shared with the public last year on September 6th.

So, if the Vikings and Jefferson don't agree to an extension around the July 31st date that Graziano mentioned as a possibility, then there's a good chance that he will follow the same path as Burrow and Bosa and sign his new contract with Minnesota shortly before the start of the 2024 regular season.

Will this information prevent Vikings fans from jumping to conclusions and freaking out for no reason because the team might go through their entire training camp this summer without Jefferson signing an extension?

No, of course not. That's a funny joke.

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