What Justin Jefferson’s landmark deal means for future NFL contracts | Zero Blitz

Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, Nate Tice and Charles Robinson discuss the landmark contract for the Vikings wide receiver and whether it’s too much money for certain positions on the field. Hear the full conversation on the “Zero Blitz” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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Video Transcript

A lot of noise this off season about Justin Jefferson.

In fact, we even heard rumors that he was being shot.

There were phone calls where they’re going to trade him all of these things.

Well, that got quickly quieted this week with the news of an extension four years, 100 and $40 million 100 and $10 million guaranteed.

I mean, unbelievable when you talk about not saying Justin Jefferson doesn’t deserve it.

C Rob.

But when I saw that kind of money, highest money for a non quarterback, it just sort of shook me that the realization that when you are the best of the best, no matter what your position is now, you are going to get the back.

Yeah, I mean, it’s, and that’s a real contract.

When you look at that, you’re like, this is, this is legitimate and uh you know, to me what’s shocking is I, I, I can remember all these different contracts over the year, I mean, covered the league for, you know, it’s going on 24 years now and I can remember all these different contracts that felt like something changed in the matrix.

Like I remember when in domain su got that contract from the Miami Dolphins and, and I had someone le go, what the hell do we pay quarterbacks now?

Like, he just made a, that a line, you know, almost 19 $20 million a year.

And, you know, basically he was like, just wait, like what’s coming now and this is, this is what you, you foresee.

But when I sit there and I look at this, I, I think like all these years when I would talk to general managers, you know, cap, uh the cap people when I would talk to, uh, coaches, it was always, hey, you pay for, there’s, there’s four positions.

You pay your quarterback, you pay your, your dominant elite, offensive tackle, you pay your elite pass rusher and then you, you pay the, the, the coverage corner, the man, you know, somebody who can, who can cut the field in half.

Um Welcome to the party wider seers because this is now who you pay.

It’s not a four person rotation.

You pay, it’s five because this isn’t just, um, Justin Jefferson, it’s gonna be CD.

Lamb’s gonna come up next.

It’s gonna be Jamar Chase will probably beat this deal by a dollar or more.

And so elite, the elite of the elite, the top 345 wide receivers in the league are $35 million a year players or 33 to $35 million players.

And what I wonder and I, I’ve been dying to ate this and I waited until the podcast asking this, how the hell do you just like, how do you make a wide receiver worth $35 million a year when it’s not a player who either affects the quarterback, protects the quarterback?

And I’m talking about every single play because wide receivers do not affect the quarterback necessarily every single play.

I mean, I, I just, I wonder that $35 million how you can justify that long term for, for a wide receiver that, that percentage of the cap bite you’re taking out with a guy.

Yeah, I, I’ve been dragged kicking and screaming into the receiver or premium position, uh, uh, discussion like as, as like anointing them as one.

because just what you’re saying, Charles, I’ve always kind of been of that, that receivers are lower on that premium position kind of spectrum, you know, on baseball, they have like the defensive position spectrum.

I kind of look at that as contracts, quarterbacks are always going to be top one.

To me, it’s edge rushers too because they are the ones that affect the quarterback first.

They are closest to the ball.

It’s a literal physics thing and then you just get into, well, who blocks that?

Oh, tackles?

Oh, ok. All right.

So there’s three and then you can get into the receiver and corners and, and, and go down, uh, down that path but to me, Justin Jefferson is you pay the 99 overalls and, and I’m fine with setting the market with that Jefferson.

To me is one of the few guys that changes coverage.

It looks and actually positively affects the run game without even blocking anybody.

Um His, we talk about gravity with basketball players.

Justin Jefferson is one of these guys, I would say Devote Adams a few last few years has won.

Um CD Lamb is actually starting to draw this type of coverage, but they draw cover two over there over to their side cover two is easier to run against, which was what was frustrating with the Vikings two years ago was they were getting the juiciest best run looks you’ll ever see and they’re running like two yards, two yards, a pop like three years this year.

They said, all right, how do we beat that?

Well, they invested a little more in the wrong game.

They got the, the tight end, uh Josh Oliver, you know, they got Addison to help out Jefferson and everything.

But that to me already speaks to, well, we’re already trying to help out the guy that’s supposed to help us out.

You know what I mean?

Like we’re already trying to help out the $35 million guy, but this is before they paid him and everything.

So Jefferson though is a 99 overall.

That’s, that’s it.

Art to me CD Lamb Auk once, once we’re getting PA CD lamb, we’re getting there, you know, he’s maybe to the 99.

But then Auk to me is like, ok, well, I’m not going to pay him that I’ll pay him, you know, maybe just a step down a tier down below.

Like he shouldn’t be just because Jefferson’s resetting market doesn’t mean every guy after him should, you know how Aaron Donald got paid and then nobody has touched it for years.

Kind of the same thing.

I feel like for Jefferson.

But also I’m sorry, I just want, are you buying never seeing single high safety?

I mean, is that what you’re buying basically?

That’s, that’s what you’re saying.

Yes.

And you’re saying that we have this rookie quarterback and he’s going to make his life easier and everybody else’s life easier.

That’s what you’re trying to buy.

And that will never get blitzed because, because if you blitz them, then you more or less might have to be free on.

This is, it’s the same math and it’s just ironic that it’s the Vikings again.

This is the same stuff that rainy Moss used to get is that you’re, if you have rainy moss on your team, you’re getting cover two every week and, and Belichick just talked about that.

He said, I don’t know why you’re watching film.

We’re getting covered two every week.

And that’s how, that’s how Jefferson gets treated.

That’s how Devonte Adams kind of gets treated still.

Uh And so that kind of changes it for you, that makes it easier on the quarterback and easier on your other guys and should be easier on your run game.

But that’s what you’re in essence trying to buy.

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