Vikings news: Justin Jefferson lays out stipulation before signing contract extension
Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the entire NFL, so it's no surprise that the Minnesota Vikings want to keep him in the purple, gold and white for as long as possible.
However, Jefferson has a laid out a specific stipulation before he agrees to sign a long-term extension with the Vikings. Before putting pen to paper, Jefferson wants to know what Minnesota's plan is at the quarterback position moving forward, according to a report from NFL insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. The star receiver wants the Vikings to bring back veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
From NFL.com:
"Complicating matters is that superstar receiver Justin Jefferson is also up for a new contract after talks didn’t yield a deal before last season. Jefferson is a Cousins fan and will want to know the quarterback plan before signing on for the long haul."
Cousins, who is coming off of a season-ending Achilles injury, is set for free agency in March. Cousins has spent the past six seasons in Minnesota, and the Vikings will likely try to bring him back, but it's possible that there are other teams out there willing to spend more for Cousins' services.
This pressure from Jefferson is certainly something that Minnesota's front office will be forced to consider when making personnel decisions this offseason. If they don't retain Cousins, will that result in them ultimately losing Jefferson, too?
Jefferson has played his entire four-year career in Minnesota with Cousins as his quarterback and he has achieved some extreme individual success, so it makes sense that he would want Cousins to stick around.
Cousins will be 36 in August and he's coming off of a major injury, but he feels like he still has some gas in the tank.
"I never want to take years for granted or assume things," Cousins said in a recent interview. "So, I do always kind of take a year-to-year mindset. But, I see myself playing several more [years]."
It's clear that Cousins will be playing somewhere next season, but where that will be remains a question mark for now.