Justin Jefferson joined a distinguished lineage on Monday, signing the largest contract in Vikings history with his four-year, $140 million deal that reportedly comes with $110 million guaranteed.
Back in 1989, it was quarterback Wade Wilson getting the most money the Vikings had ever committed to a player.
"I won't make any rash bad decisions," Wilson told the Star Tribune at the time. "I'll go about it slowly and conservatively."
That record-setting contract was for four years, too, and $4.35 million. Total.
In terms of annual value, Wilson was passed up one year later when Vikings defensive lineman Chris Doleman got the richest one-year deal in Vikings history at $1.4 million — with incentives it had the possibility of getting up to $1.6 million.
The exponential growth of NFL contracts, and sports contracts in general, is clear in Jefferson's mind-boggling contract. He'll make over $2 million per game.
But there have been other $100 million deals for the Vikings.
Daunte Culpepper got $102 million in 2003 — but that was for 10 years, and only $16 million was guaranteed. He played three more seasons with the Vikings.
Adrian Peterson got $96 million over seven years in 2011 with the potential for $100 million in escalators and $36 million guaranteed. He restructured that contract in 2015 to secure an additional $20 million in guaranteed money for the next two seasons. He left the Vikings in 2017.
Jefferson's deal makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL and his guaranteed money for a single contract is the most in team history. Over three contracts, the Vikings gave quarterback Kirk Cousins $185 million guaranteed and those numbers essentially blew all concepts of guaranteed money out of the water for NFL contracts.
Still the closest comparison to Jefferson's payday would have to be when 24-year-old Randy Moss signed an eight-year extension with the Vikings worth $75 million in July 2001.
At the time it was the richest contract in NFL history on an annual basis and made him the highest paid player in the league. The contract came with an $18 million signing bonus — the only guaranteed money in the deal.
Vikings owner Red McCombs said at the time, "As I have said from day one, Randy is going to spend his career as a Viking."
Moss spent four more seasons with the Vikings before being traded to Oakland.
