Elite WRs continue to reset the market

The Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson reset the wide receiver market in a big way on Monday, with the star pass-catcher signing a four-year, $140 million deal to stay in Minnesota.

The deal includes $110 million guaranteed for the 24-year-old. Jefferson became not just the highest-paid wide receiver, but the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Jefferson’s $35 million average per year would’ve been elite quarterback money just five years ago, but now it represents the value of the league’s top wide receivers. Jefferson is the consensus best wideout in the NFL, so he should stay at the top of the market for a little while, but $30 million-plus a year has now become the expectation for elite pass-catchers.

Per Over the Cap, Jefferson is now one of four wide receivers averaging over $30 million a year, with the other three being A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tyreek Hill. Jaylen Waddle and Davante Adams aren’t far behind either, with both averaging around $28 million a year.

Brown, St. Brown, and Waddle are all very recent signings, and they set the expectation for teams looking to lock up high-end WR1s this offseason and beyond.

Per a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk is looking for a deal comparable to the one St. Brown received from the Lions — $28-30 million per year depending on which cap tool you use.

NFL contracts continue to skyrocket. The longer teams wait to lock up star receivers, the more expensive they’ll become.