The Minnesota Vikings want to get wide receiver Justin Jefferson signed to an extension. They have been working toward getting that done for the better part of a year.
It hasn't been easy and Jefferson himself has said that his situation is different because of his success in the National Football League. There is also the element of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah being very vocal about paying him what he's worth and calling his contract situation a "Champagne problem."
The big question with Jefferson right now is the Vikings upcoming mandatory minicamp on June 4-6. He did make it to last year's mandatory minicamp and was a full participant, but The Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins thinks he will hold in and said as much on the latest episode of Purple Access.
"I think it'll probably be one of those, what do they call it, hold ins where you're there but you're not practicing," Scoggins said. "That would be my guess if it's not done. I think if there's a contract done, he'll be there. If the contract's not done, I can see him showing up but not doing anything. What I'm saying is if I'm his agent, there's no way he's stepping a foot on a field until that contract's done."
This would be a different approach than what Jefferson took last year, but it's also an evolved situation. Jefferson is on the final year of his contract and therefore has a little bit more leverage than he did previously.
A hold-in wouldn't be new to this Vikings regime. Danielle Hunter was a hold-in before signing an amended contract on July 31st and T.J. Hockenson was also considered a hold-in before signing his extension on August 31st. Yes, the team said he had an ear injury that impacted his balance, but nobody believed it.
If Jeffersons did indeed hold-in, it wouldn't be a surprise or a big deal. It would, however, be a shift in how he's handled this entire process.
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