Justin Jefferson absent from Minnesota Vikings’ spring workout program

Several of the league’s top players declined to show up on day one of spring workout programs – including Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson. The former first-round wide receiver is hoping to lock down a long-term contract with the team and he’s using whatever leverage he can to make it happen before the 2024 season.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to reporters on Monday about Jefferson’s absence. O’Connell said it “remains to be seen” what Jefferson will do over the rest of the offseason and that the team wants “him here as much as we can have him.”

“I’ve had a lot of great dialogue with Justin throughout even the early part of this offseason and leading up,” O’Connell said, via KTSP. “My hope is we can get him around the team. Obviously such a special player, but it goes beyond that this time of year because of just the energy and flat-out way he goes to work.”

For now, the Vikings’ activities are voluntary. That changes when the mandatory minicamp comes around in early June. The team’s spring workouts are exclusively for strength and conditioning, as outlined by the CBA.

Jefferson hoping to top market with new deal

Jefferson is set to make $19.743 million in the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. The Vikings picked up his fifth-year option last year instead of negotiating a long-term deal. Now, he wants to get one done before he plays the season with a new contract looming over his head.

“I want to break the bank, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants me and to really give me what I deserve,” Jefferson said in an interview with Mad Dog Sports Radio this offseason. ”I feel like eventually the Vikings will do what they need to do to have me in the building, but I don’t really know at this very moment. Only time will tell.”

In 2022, the former LSU star had a career-high 1,809 receiving yards with eight touchdowns on 128 catches. This season, injuries to himself and quarterback Kirk Cousins impacted his stats significantly. Though he still topped the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth straight season, he ended the year with a career-low of 68 catches and 1,074 yards with five touchdowns.

The Minnesota Vikings drafted Jefferson with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. They snagged him five spots after the Cowboys drafted wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Lamb is also currently staging a holdout for a long-term deal before he plays on his fifth-year option deal.