Justin Jefferson has long been motivated by the idea of wearing a gold jacket at the end of his career. He knows he can’t reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame without being on the field, however, and that’s why he never once considered holding out as he navigated his contract negotiations with the Vikings.

After not being able to come to an agreement with the Vikings last offseason, Jefferson made it a point to let his play on the field do the talking. He even pushed himself to return to action last season after suffering a hamstring injury when other players in his position might’ve considered shutting it down.

It ended up working out for Jefferson, as he signed an historic four-year, $140 million extension with the Vikings this offseason. His average annual value of $35 million is higher than any receiver in the NFL. The fact that he got there without any drama attached to his contract negotiations speaks to his leadership.

“It was for my teammates to really show that I’m not all about the money,” Jefferson said. “That’s not something that I grew up on and not something that I wanted my teammates to have over my name. Just being around and having a smile on my face and coming to work every single day even when I didn’t have that contract. I knew that contract was going to come whenever it comes, and I wasn’t going to let that stop me from coming out here and being great.”

The way that Jefferson went about his business has become the exception to the rule across the NFL. A few of his peers have went public with their contract negotiations over the past couple of months, for example, holding out as leverage with hopes of signing a lucrative extension.

You saw it happen with CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys, then Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers before both players got paid. You’re seeing it happen with Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals as he looks to get paid, as well.

Asked what it’s been like to watch Chase go through the process, Jefferson emphasized how much he feels for his former college teammate.

“It’s tough,” Jefferson said. “I understand it. I hope everything goes well on his end. I hope he’s back there on that field and able to compete like he always does.”

The professionalism displayed by Jefferson last season by not holding out was much appreciated by his teammates in the locker room.

“I would’ve been behind him no matter how he handled that,” safety Cam Bynum said. “I’ll never knock somebody for holding out, because it’s a business. He’s a real one, though, for not holding out in his situation. Just being a team guy through all of it says a lot about him.”

As for head coach Kevin O’Connell, he talked at length about Jefferson and his leadership, emphasizing how that’s reflected in the way he carried himself throughout his contract negotiations.

“Just how he handled that, I think his teammates were watching everything with him,” O’Connell said. “They always are, and he knows that.”

Maybe the best part for Jefferson now that everything is signed, seal, and delivered is he can enter this season without anything hanging over his head. Not that he was going to let anything stop him from playing the game his loves.

“It was all about talking to the right people and making sure I’m doing the right things,” Jefferson said. “Not letting that hinder me from being on that field.”

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