Through his first four seasons, the 25-year-old superstar wide receiver had the most receiving yards of any player in league history, putting him on track to become not just the highest-paid receiver but also the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
However, given the abundance of skill and ready prospects emerging from college, top-end receivers are becoming a dime a dozen. The 2024 draft had seven wide receivers selected in the first round, which matched for the most ever. Since 2020, 28 receivers have been drafted in the first round. Thirty-four were picked in the first round the previous decade.
Seven of the 21 first-round receivers picked since 2020 who have played a complete season in the league have gone to the Pro Bowl, and 14 have accumulated 1,000 or more yards.
There is a case to be made that, given the impact young receivers are having right out of college, there is no reason to pay Jefferson a premium contract. The Vikings were ahead of the curve when they traded Stefon Diggs the same year they extended Kirk Cousins, using the pick to draft Jefferson.
Adofo-Mensah is fully aware of the cost of signing Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million contract extension on June 3, but he also understands a fundamental truth about constructing a winning organization: superstar talent is rare in free agency.
“Would I rather have a quarterback at this level, a wide receiver at this level, or a rusher at this level,” Adofo-Mensah asked, describing Jefferson’s megadeal to The Star Tribune. “But at the end of the day, studying teams that have gotten to the NFC Championship [Game], AFC Championship [Game], Super Bowl level, there’s a certain amount of talent that it requires.”
How Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is Opening the Vikings’ Super Bowl Window
When Adofo-Mensah took over as general manager in 2022, he referred to the following two seasons as a “competitive rebuild.” He endeavoured to make the most of a roster filled with seasoned quality while Rick Spielman hemorrhaged the future in order to keep the team together and preserve their postseason ambitions.
The 2022 season was incredibly successful, but only by razor-thin margins. The Vikings’ 13-4 season was cut short by a first-round playoff loss to the New York Giants, despite going 11-0 in single-score games throughout the regular season.
Adofo-Mensah gradually whittled down the roster while preserving a competitive spirit until finally parting ways with Cousins.
“I walked into a team that I thought, Kevin [O’Connell] thought, could win in Year 1,” Adofo-Mensah stated. “But ultimately, we knew we had to get to this place.”
The franchise was then completely overhauled over the course of 85 days.
From the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling:
From March 11 until June 3, the Vikings:
• Allow their starting quarterback and top pass rusher to leave in free agency.
• Signed 14 unrestricted free agents, including a starter running back, three starting linebackers, and one starting cornerback.
• For the first time in team history, we traded up to draft a quarterback in the top ten.
• Traded up again to choose a pass rusher in the first round for the first time since 2005.
• Made their best receiver the highest-paid nonquarterback in NFL history, with a deal worth roughly $70 million over the first two years.
They spent a lot of money and draft picks on players who they hope will anchor the franchise. If it works, the Vikings might have given themselves a chance to compete.
The next stage is for the Vikings to figure out how to develop around Jefferson’s contract, and that’s where Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell saw themselves when they took over in 2022.
“This isn’t a place for self-congratulation. We’re pleased with our strategy, but plans don’t get you far in this league,” Adofo-Mensah remarked. “It’s showing up here every day on the grass and getting better, and then me going in with my staff and trying to improve the team as best we can.”
The Vikings Have a Good Problem on the Horizon With Justin Jefferson and J.J. McCarthy
While having a superstar quarterback is desirable, only a few players are genuinely worth the hefty contracts that they command.
The Kansas City Chiefs are churning through rookie-scale receivers after declining to pay Tyreek Hill $30 million per year and trading him to the Miami Dolphins.
Because they have a great quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs can afford to take chances at receiver, many of which have failed. Mahomes can compensate for and improve the talent around him.
The Vikings want to see that one day from J.J. McCarthy.
Over the next four years, the Vikings plan to construct a squad similar to the San Francisco 49ers or the Philadelphia Eagles, both of which have deep rosters with solid, but not great quarterbacks.
If McCarthy performs above expectations and develops into a decent playmaker outside of the Vikings’ offensive system, he will most likely be one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks.
But that crossroads is at least four years away. But, for the time being, Jefferson is the most effective cheat code for providing McCarthy with the optimal development route throughout his rookie deal.
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