Vikings' Justin Jefferson addresses training camp plans, previous absences

Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson confirmed Tuesday he'll attend training camp after he skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason program. 

Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Jefferson said his previous absences were related to marketing and endorsement obligations and had nothing to do with the three-time Pro Bowl selection wanting a pay raise this summer. 

"I had a lot of stuff going on," Jefferson explained. "(The Vikings) didn't really force me to come back too, too much. It didn't seem like I was missing too, too much. They definitely wanted me back here, and I wanted to be back here, but had a lot going on."

A 2020 first-round draft pick, Jefferson has two more years remaining on his inexpensive rookie contract that is set to earn him roughly $2.4M for the upcoming season. While the 23-year-old wasn't around for voluntary organized team activities, he reported Tuesday for mandatory minicamp and, thus, avoided potential fines. 

"[Negotiations] happen every single year," Jefferson said about contract talks involving the Vikings and his agent. "It's not something that's new towards the game. Eventually, we knew we were going to have to talk contract."

According to ESPN stats, Jefferson led all players for the 2022 regular season with 128 receptions, 184 targets and 1,809 receiving yards en route to earning Offensive Player of the Year honors. He was tied for 11th with eight touchdown grabs. 

Per Spencer Chrisman of WAFB, Jefferson's 4,825 career receiving yards are the most yards a player has ever recorded across his first three NFL seasons and the most among all players since the 2020 campaign. 

Last month, Bleacher Report NFL analyst Gary Davenport noted that the Vikings likely will have to give Jefferson "the biggest contract any NFL wideout has ever seen." Davenport projected the sides could agree to a six-year deal worth up to around $190M with $97.5M guaranteed. 

While the Buffalo Bills and wide receiver Stefon Diggs are currently dealing with issues related to unspecified matters, Seifert mentioned that "there are no indications that the talks (between the Vikings and Jefferson) are acrimonious." 

That's all well and good as of June 13, but recent situations involving stars such as Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams suggest Minnesota would do well to lock Jefferson down sooner rather than later.