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Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer
Amid a flurry of contract extensions for NFL wide receivers over the past week, the Minnesota Vikings and receiver Justin Jefferson took a brief pause in negotiations during the draft weekend, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Saturday.
The break was not related to any impasse, however. The sides continue to make progress, and, Adofo-Mensah said, the timing of an agreement would deserve a singular moment that is not overshadowed by the draft.
“We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The process is still ongoing. We did say, ‘Hey, [let’s pause] a couple days.’ The draft’s coming. They have players they represent. We have our process.
“Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week. You know that friend that has a birthday that takes the month? I think Justin would deserve his whole month if we signed a contract to celebrate it. We’re excited to work towards it. We’re going to keep going. You can’t have all these plans when you talk about all these visions and not talk about the king linchpin, so we’re going to keep working toward that end goal.”
The Vikings and Jefferson have been discussing terms of the deal for more than a year. Adofo-Mensah said previously that they got “unbelievably close” to a deal last summer before tabling the talks at the start of the 2023 regular season. Talks resumed after the season and have been productive. Earlier this week, Jefferson posted lyrics from a Drake song on Instagram: “The money speakin’ for itself, I call it fortune-tell.”
This month, Philadelphia Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Baltimore Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman have all signed contract extensions.