Vikings GM wants Justin Jefferson around ‘for a long time’

Vikings GM talks Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins at NFL Combine

Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talked Tuesday at the NFL Combine about trying to keep Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins as they aim to work out new contracts with the Vikings.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis, and with that comes conversations and rumors involving virtually every team in the league.

This offseason is one of the biggest in recent memory for the Minnesota Vikings, and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah put at least one rumor to bed on Tuesday. The Vikings and Justin Jefferson have been trying to get a long-term contract extension done since before last season, but they couldn’t agree on some details. Would the Vikings trade Jefferson before he could get away in free agency?

Vikings brass talks Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson at Combine

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell talked about the futures of Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins on Tuesday at the NFL Combine.

"That is not something that once has crossed my mind. You’ve got a blue player, blue person, you try and keep as many of those as you can," Adofo-Mensah said. "We had a lot of great dialogue last offseason. I think people forget, deals rarely happen after three years and there’s a reason. We got unbelievably close. I’ve promised them that I will not talk about our negotiations. A lot of the stuff that I hear is completely false. He’s somebody we want around for a long time."

Despite missing seven games with a hamstring injury, Jefferson still had 68 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. Two years ago, he was a First-Team All-Pro after leading the NFL with 128 catches for 1,809 yards.

This year marks the last in his current contract. He said during Super Bowl week he wants to "break the bank" with his next contract. Everyone involved, including Adofo-Mensah and Jefferson, wants it to be in Minnesota.

"We’ve said it and we’ll continue to say it, we think he’s the best wide receiver in the league and should be compensated as such. We think he’s one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league, and think he should be compensated as such. We’ll continue to have those dialogues and conversations," Adofo-Mensah said.

VIKINGS ‘IN A GREAT PLACE’ WITH KIRK COUSINS

One of Adofo-Mensah’s other big decisions is whether to bring back Kirk Cousins, or let him test free agency. Cousins was playing arguably the best football of his career when he went down Week 8 with a torn Achilles at Green Bay. He had 2,331 passing yards and 18 touchdowns at the time.

Adofo-Mensah has to balance if he wants to bring Cousins back on a multi-year deal, or find Minnesota’s next quarterback in the draft. Cousins on Monday posted videos of himself throwing footballs on a tennis court as part of his rehab process.

The Vikings and Cousins have to reach an agreement before March 13, or he becomes a free agent.

"We’re in a great place with Kirk. Another person we’ve had these dialogues with the past couple of seasons. Had a great conversation with him the other day. At the end of the day we have our interests, he has his. You get to the table and see if you can figure out a creative solution on how to meet in the middle. That’s what every contract negotiation is," Adofo-Mensah said. "What we do know is we have a really great quarterback, a great leader and somebody that we think we can win the ultimate prize with. That’s ultimately what I focus on."