Will Justin Jefferson Hold Out This Offseason? 2024 NFL Contract Outlook

April 18, 2024

Will Justin Jefferson hold out in the 2024 offseason? Should fantasy players draft Justin Jefferson? Should fantasy players pick Justin Jefferson as the WR1 if he is holding out? Read the 2024 fantasy football outlook.

Justin Jefferson is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He's also not under contract beyond the end of the 2024 football season, and he has been trying to get a new contract done.

Many players looking for a better contract end up holding out for part of the offseason or even into the season if their demands are not met. Last season, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Chris Jones all held out before agreeing to reworked contracts.

Will Jefferson attend the Minnesota Vikings' offseason workouts, or will he hold out this offseason? How should you approach Jefferson in fantasy football drafts?

What Did Justin Jefferson Accomplish in 2023?

Jefferson had his best season in terms of yards per game in 2023. In 10 games, Jefferson caught 68 passes for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. That's 107.4 yards per game, eclipsing his previous career high of 106.4 yards per game that he set in 2022.

Jefferson accomplished that feat despite the fact that his quarterback, Kirk Cousins, got injured, resulting in low-quality quarterbacks throwing Jefferson the ball for most of the season. In the first four games of the season, in which Cousins started, Jefferson gained over 540 yards for an average of 135.8 yards per game. He got injured in his fifth game, and by the time he came back, Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens were taking turns at quarterback.

Jefferson was the WR1 in PPR through Week 4, and he finished the season as the WR37 and ranked No. 5 in PPR points per game. He outscored A.J. Brown, Puka Nacua, and Ja'Marr Chase in per-game average.

Will Justin Jefferson Hold Out in the 2024 Offseason?

Justin Jefferson is in the final year of his rookie deal. He will make $19.7 million this year. But he is one of the top couple of receivers in the NFL, and he wants to be paid like he's No. 1.

Currently, the most expensive receiver, Tyreek Hill, is making $30 million a year. Reportedly, Jefferson wants to make more than him. The other benchmark receiver contract is Davante Adams', which is worth $140 million, $20 million more than Hill's, but is spread over one more season.

The team and the player have been negotiating this offseason, but little progress has been made. Reportedly, the Vikings front office leaked word that Jefferson turned down a $30 million-a-year deal -- which would have matched, not exceeded Hill's contract.

Now, Jefferson is missing the beginning of the Vikings' non-mandatory offseason program. He also missed the same program last season for non-contract-related reasons, and it did not affect his 2023 production.

The Vikings will most likely agree to give him a big new extension, or else they might trade him. If he gets traded, he will probably end up on a team that has a better quarterback than Minnesota's current quarterback, Sam Darnold. That said, most teams -- especially those that might be desperate enough to trade for Jefferson -- do not have a quarterback as good as Kirk Cousins.

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