The Minnesota Vikings got their superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson officially extended on Monday. The terms of the contract are among the biggest in National Football League history with a four-year, $140 million contract. The deal also has $110 million guaranteed with $88.743 million due at signing.
The consensus is that Jefferson deserves the contract that he received. He was the most productive wide receiver in the first four years of a career in NFL history. While believing he deserved it, the discussion about paying players always sparks a new discussion.
The latest discussion is focused on wide receiver contracts. With so many receivers getting paid, media members are starting to ask if it's worth paying wide receivers.
I've never been on the "pay Brandon Aiyuk at all costs" train and with Justin Jefferson's new deal resetting the market I'm quickly boarding the, "don't ever pay a wide receiver a second contract" train.
— Rob “Stats” Guerrera (@statsonfire on threads) (@StatsOnFire) June 3, 2024
There are too many good ones every single year.
Wide receiver contracts under fire after Justin Jefferson's extension
Should you pay wide receivers a second contract? That is going to be the biggest talking point over the next few weeks with the NFL offseason in full swing. The question is do they matter? SB Nation's JP Acosta is of that belief.
Lets do this, WRs Don’t Matter https://t.co/D4YBte1PrR
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) June 3, 2024
Recently, we have seen wide receivers get extensions.
- A.J. Brown: 3/$96 million
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: 4/$120.01 million
- Jaylen Waddle: 3/$84.75 million
- Nico Collins: 3/$72.75 million
- Michael Pittman Jr.: 3/$70 million
It's inarguable that Jefferson got a paradigm-shifting extension with his AAV $3 million higher than second place. That makes him the top of the market along with being an outlier for now because of how historic his production has been.
It also raises the question about production per dollar paid. The NFL has seen a major spike in talented wide receivers, including 16 of them being selected in the top 100 this year.
Justin Jefferson will average $35 million per year on his new deal.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) June 3, 2024
Marvin Harrison will make $35.3 million across the first four years of his new deal *combined*.
No issue with paying great players, but this is one of the many reasons there were 16 WRs drafted in the top 100.
Yes, you can get surplus value from a rookie. That's been the case since 2011 when the rookie wage scale was put into place. The risk with a rookie is that they don't work out. Take a look at the likes of Henry Ruggs, Jalen Reagor and Treylon Burks who were recent first-round picks who didn't do anything.
Surplus value is a great thing, but it shouldn't hinder you from paying star players. Now, should you pay a fringe elite wide receiver top-of-the-market money? That is where the discussion should lie, not making wide receiver contracts go the way of the running back. Alpha wide receivers are still difficult to find and you should keep them any way you can.
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