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Will Minnesota Vikings give Jarius Wright an extension?

By Kevin Parvizi

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The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver corps has a good amount of depth with Mike Wallace, Charles Johnson, Jarius Wright, Cordarrelle Patterson, and rookie Stefon Diggs lining up as Teddy Bridgewater‘s top five weapons at the position with talented tight end Kyle Rudolph also supporting the passing attack. Throw in the occasional pass to Adrian Peterson out of the backfield, and you have a passing attack set up for success, especially since the line figures to be much stronger with returns to health across the board and an upgrade at left guard.

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Each of the receivers on the Vikings roster will be interesting to watch, as Wallace is in a new situation, Patterson is looking to prove himself as a receiver after regressing badly as a sophomore, Diggs is an intriguing first-year backup, and Johnson and Wright will be looking to build on promising 2014 seasons.

Last year, Wright turned just 62 targets into 42 receptions for 588 yards, averaging 14.0 yards per reception and about 9.5 yards per target as one of the league’s more efficient receivers. Not only did he do a good job of moving the chains in the slot, but he added an element of playmaking ability to the table. A true weapon after the catch, Wright has averaged at least 14 yards per reception in each of his three seasons, including an average of 16.7 yards per catch in 2013 on 22 receptions.

Back in December, the 25-year-old Arkansas product stated his belief that he’s played well enough to earn an extension, but no talks have taken place at this moment of time.

ESPN NFL Nation’s Ben Goessling recently wrote that Wright, along with kicker Blair Walsh, “could be” a candidate for an extension as a “more immediate” priority for the Minnesota Vikings since his contract runs out after this season. He will earn just $660,000 this upcoming season, and while 42 catches isn’t a big haul, Wright is clearly more valuable than that amount of money, though the Vikings probably don’t feel a big need to reward him.

Goessling also brings up an excellent point regarding a potential reason for extending a player like Wright, “The impetus for doing some of these deals now, to me, is that you can charge some of the new money to this year’s cap, before things really get tricky in a couple years.”

On the surface, it seems better for the Vikings to wait on extending Wright until he proves to be a truly key part of the offense, but there are plenty of financial reasons for getting a deal done sooner, including the reason stated above by Goessling.

The Vikings could let Wright play out the 2015 season without an extension in place, giving him even more motivation to have a big season in a contract year. Of course, if Wright does go off after quietly producing a strong 2014 season, he could try to make some serious cash on the open market as an ascending, young player with the rare ability to average a high amount of yards per reception out of the slot.

It appears that Norv Turner is a fan of Wright’s ability to make an impact out of the slot with Greg Jennings now a member of the Miami Dolphins, and that makes me think the Vikings won’t extend him before the season starts. I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but the way I see it, the Vikings will want to raise the stakes for a receiver who will be playing a huge role for them in 2015. I don’t think he’ll price himself out of their range, and they’ll be more than happy with rewarding him after the season before he hits free agency if he plays at a high level.

I think Jarius Wright is a candidate for a breakout year due to his high catch rate and high yards per reception average last season as a mere role player in the offense. It would be a surprise if the Vikings don’t give him a bigger role, and while he is definitely underpaid, I just don’t see him earning a new deal. Of course, if the Vikings did decide to extend him, I wouldn’t have any issues with proactively keeping a quick, talented receiver who could have a big year in an important role for a potential playoff team.

Next: Don't forget about Mike Wallace

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