The Minnesota Vikings were one of the stars of the show throughout the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings made a handful of exciting moves around the board and landed two of the most talked about players in the first round. Apparently, the 2024 NFL Draft put a pause to the ongoing contract negotiations between Justin Jefferson and the Vikings.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the break was not related to any impasse and the two sides continue to make progress.

“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.”

Pausing around draft time makes a ton of sense for all parties. Jefferson gets to see who the Vikings draft before making any final decisions, the Vikings can solely focus on the draft, and Jefferson’s agents can devote more time to their rookies throughout the draft process.

“Either way, whenever we sign him, we want Justin to have his whole week,” Adofo-Mensah said. “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.”

Contract negotiations have been ongoing for more than a year. Adofo-Mensah previously said that the two sides came “unbelievably close” to a deal this past summer, but couldn’t get it done. Now the price will be higher after Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown both signed lucrative contract extensions this offseason.

Recapping the 2024 NFL Draft for the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates with wide receiver K.J. Osborn (17) after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field. © Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings made some exciting moves in the 2024 NFL Draft and acquired some great talent for the future.

The Vikings brought in the following players in the 2024 NFL Draft:

JJ McCarthy – QB – First round (10th overall)
Dallas Turner – EDGE – First round (17th overall)
Khyree Jackson – CB – Fourth round (108th overall)
Walter Rouse – T – Sixth round (177th overall)
Will Reichard – K – Sixth round (203rd overall)
Michael Jurgens – G – Seventh round (230th overall)
Levi Drake Rodriguez – DT – Seventh round (232nd overall)
Minnesota was linked to JJ McCarthy for most of the offseason, though many believed the Vikings would have to trade both of their first-round picks to move up in the draft to select him. Fortunately, they only needed to move up one spot and retained their second first-round pick. The Vikings moved up the board again in the first round and selected edge defender Dallas Turner from Alabama. Turner was widely projected as the first defensive player to be selected in the draft, but he fell after the Atlanta Falcons shocked the world and picked Michael Penix Jr. at eighth overall. He joins former Houston Texan Jonathan Greenard as the Vikings’ new pass rushers. Earlier this offseason, Danielle Hunter signed with the Houston Texans.

If the Minnesota Vikings can ink Justin Jefferson to a long-term extension then they have a chance to compete in an NFC North that is suddenly looking like one of the league’s strongest divisions.