The Justin Jefferson contract was the subject of plenty of offseason chatter. The Christian Darrisaw deal wasn’t.
The 2021 first-round pick recently signed his second contract, with two years left on his rookie deal. He’s now under contract for six years.
Original reports included the key phrase “up to” $113 million — which means “this isn’t really the deal, but it could be if he earns all of his incentives.”
We’ve now gotten the full and complete and actual details. Here they are:
1. Signing bonus: $18 million.
2. 2024 base salary: $1.055 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2025 option bonus: $22.25 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2025 offseason workout bonus: $250,000, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).
5. 2025 base salary: $1.17 million, fully guaranteed.
6. 2025 per-game roster bonus: $1 million total, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).
7. 2026 offseason roster bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed as of 2025 (but must be earned).
8. 2026 base salary: $13.291 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed as of 2025.
9. 2026 per-game roster bonus: $1.5 million total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed as of 2025 (but must be earned).
10. 2027 offseason workout bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed later (more below).
11. 2027 base salary: $15 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed later (more below).
12. 2027 per-game roster bonus: $1.5 million total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed later (more below).
13. 2028 workout bonus: $250,000.
14. 2028 base salary: $21.25 million, $2 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing and becomes fully guaranteed in 2028.
15. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $1.5 million total.
16. 2029 workout bonus: $250,000.
17. 2029 base salary: $22.25 million.
18. 2029 per-game roster bonus: $1.5 million total.
As to 2027, the full compensation of $16.75 million is guaranteed for injury at signing. Half of it — $8.375 million — becomes fully guaranteed in 2026. The other half becomes fully guaranteed in 2027.
The deal includes $9 million in upside, in the form of $2.25 million in escalators from 2026 through 2029. Each year, he gets $250,000 for 90-percent playing time. He also gets $250,000 for making the Pro Bowl or $1 million for being a second-team All-Pro or $2 million for being a first-team All-Pro.
So the base value is $104 million. To get the full “up to” value of $113 million, Darrisaw needs to take at least 90 percent of the snaps and be a first-team All-Pro in 2025 and 2026 and 2027 and 2028.
The new-money average as to the four-year extension is $26 million, not $28.25 million. The total value from signing is $20.419 million.
He has $43.725 million fully guaranteed at signing. By 2025, it moves to $58.766 million. By 2026, the full guarantee is $67.141 million.
Darrisaw becomes the latest Vikings player to break from the mold of having no full guarantees beyond the current year. It looks like ownership has finally realized that, in order to keep the best players around, it’s something that had to be done at a position other than quarterback.
