The Minnesota Vikings have struck gold with Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson has been one of the best wide receivers in the league since he got drafted and recently signed a lucrative contract extension.
In fact, he has the largest contract of any non-quarterback in league history, a sign of what he has done to this point in his career.
While Jefferson’s rise to stardom might have been surprising to some fans, former GM Rick Spielman recently indicated that he saw greatness in Jefferson early on.
“I remember the first day he came in as a rookie. He was just different. He went up and made a one hand grab in the redzone that just took your breath away,” Spielman said in a Sirius XM NFL Radio interview.
“I know he is shooting for that gold jacket by the time his career is over.”@Spielman_Rick discussed the contract extension for @Vikings WR Justin Jefferson and when he realized they had something special in Minnesota.
https://t.co/kDbLh5bBT0#Vikings | #SKOL | @JJettas2 pic.twitter.com/3Ggg5PitAq
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 6, 2024
Spielman said that Jefferson could be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done, a true compliment to what he’s done to this point in his career.
It hasn’t seemed to matter who his quarterback is, Jefferson has certainly made an impact on this offense over the past several years.
Now that he has an impressive contract extension, Jefferson is tied to the team for the foreseeable future, for better or for worse.
J.J. McCarthy could be an upgrade for him over Kirk Cousins, but his impact on this team remains to be seen.
As long as Jefferson is on the roster, the Vikings have a shot to win any game, regardless of who is throwing him the ball.
It will be interesting to see if he can keep up this level of production in future years, or if there will be any fall-off due to inferior quarterback play.
The post Former Vikings GM Reveals When They Knew Justin Jefferson Was Special appeared first on The Cold Wire.