Justin Jefferson is going to earn every dollar of his extension in 2024

Justin Jefferson heads into the 2024 NFL season being the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, and he is about to earn every dollar of it. Worst part? It isn’t because of anything he did but rather of the situation around him for the season ahead.

Jefferson has shown that he can produce no matter who throws him the ball. Last year he did it with a rotation of Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, and Nick Mullens and despite missing time with a hamstring injury, he still ecplised over 1,000 receiving yards.

In 2024, though, he will have to do more right away.

The locker room is reeling from the news that J.J. McCarthy will be out for the entire 2024 season. That news means that Sam Darnold is the guy for the Vikings and Justin Jefferson. The highest receiving total for someone who has had Darnold as their quarterback for a season is D.J. Moore, who had 1,157 receiving yards when he was in Carolina in 2021. Next closest? Jamison Crowder with 833 yards in 2020.

Jefferson is far and away the most talented receiver that Darnold has played with, but he still needs to get the ball to him. The pressure will be on him, but he isn’t being paid what Jefferson is. Fairly or unfairly, the pressure will be on Justin Jefferson as the Vikings look to salvage the season ahead.