Minnesota Vikings: Jarius Wright deal makes sense

By Kevin Parvizi | Sep 10, 2015

The Minnesota Vikings have one of the deepest wide receiver units in the NFL, as they added veteran Mike Wallace and rookie Stefon Diggs to a group that already included SPARQ star Charles Johnson, raw playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson, and the under-appreciated Jarius Wright, who has 4.4s wheels and underrated physical tools.

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According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings have signed Wright to a four-year extension worth $14.8 million with $7 million in guaranteed money. Wright previously had just one year left on his deal, and he was set to make a meager $660,000 this season. Most people expected Wright to get a new deal this offseason despite the addition of Diggs via the draft, especially since Wright’s skill-set fits Teddy Bridgewater perfectly; he’s also a much different player than any of the other wide receivers on the Vikings roster.

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Wright quietly established himself as a reliable option in the slot with plenty of added playmaking juice last season. Per Advanced Football Analytics, the former Arkansas star led the team with a 67.7% catch rate and 9.5 yards per target, blowing Greg Jennings‘s respectable 64.8% catch rate and 8.2 yards per target out of the water.

Despite catching so much of what Bridgewater threw at him, Wright was still able to bring 14.0 yards per reception to the table last season, and it’s weird to think that he was only fourth on the team with just 62 targets despite all of his production. Yes, running back Matt Asiata and struggling second-year pro Patterson both received more looks than a rising third-year player.

With Johnson set to play a big role, Wallace in the fold, Diggs lurking, and Rudolph and Adrian Peterson back in the offense, it’s hard to guess just how many targets Wright will receive. But based on his fantastic efficiency last season, Wright should be able to beat out his career-best 42/588/2 line from last season, and it will be especially interesting to see if the Vikings choose to use him more as a vertical threat or a playmaker in space.

What’s clear is that Wright can play either role for this offense, and he gives Bridgewater a player who can get open with ease and add some bonus yards with the ball in his hands. He can also clear out space for other receivers by running deep routes, and it’s clear that Bridgewater is surrounded by receivers who can make big plays.

Most fans are probably looking at the $14.8 million over four seasons with $7 million in guarantees with a healthy amount of skepticism, and I don’t blame them. I’d wager that most people don’t really know who Jarius Wright is, because he’s a diamond-in-the-rough type whose upside is best captured by measurables and analytics.

As an organization, those are the kind of players you bet on, and this deal is a “bet” that Wright can become a big part of this offense in the future. The Minnesota Vikings are locking him down through his best years, as Wright is still just 25.

Additionally, $14.8 million over four seasons is peanuts for a player with his potential and 2014 efficiency, because the Vikings will be doling out just $3.7 million per season for him. That means he will make less money per year than what Harry Douglas, Greg Jennings, and Andre Roberts are making per year on their contracts.

The guaranteed money all depends on how it breaks down over the next four years, but paying him $7 million in guaranteed money was necessary; it shows that Wright is trading potential long-term money for long-term security with the organization. Again, it all depends on how the deal breaks down, but Riley Cooper, Dwayne Harris, and Roberts are all wide receivers who have more guaranteed money on their contracts than Wright.

Nobody will praise this move for being a stroke of brilliance on the part of Rick Spielman and the Vikings organization, but this is a worthy gamble on a high-upside player who made a good impression in Bridgewater’s first year in the league.

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