Justin Jefferson Gains Glory For Vikings, Taking Home OPOY Honors

It was a postseason victory for the Minnesota Vikings to celebrate, and it came from the sensational hands of Justin Jefferson.

All Jefferson did was beat out the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Hurts for the NFL’s Offensive Players of the Year. Some may question how Mahomes could win the league’s MVP honor but fail to win the top Offensive Player of the Year. You won’t hear that argument coming out of this corner.

The NFL does a solid thing in making sure non-quarterbacks have a chance to win a major award at the season’s conclusion. Jefferson not only earned that award, he also came away with the NFL’s play of the year as a result of his brilliant reception against the Buffalo Bills that allowed the Vikings to register a comeback victory in November.

At that point, the Vikings were 8-1 and in the conversation as a legitimate contender to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. That talk quickly dissipated when the Vikings were destroyed at home by the Cowboys the following week.

Jefferson said that he has developed as a player largely because he was doubted from his earliest days playing football. He was not recruited heavily as a high school player out of Louisiana.

“From where I come from, this doesn’t happen often at all,” Jefferson said. “So, to be having this award, it’s amazing of all the blessings that I’ve been getting my whole career. I was just being doubted, always having that chip on my shoulder, not getting heavily recruited, not being listed as one of the top receivers, it definitely stuck with me and it still sticks with me today.”

Jefferson won the award for best offensive player for several reasons. Not only did he have a brilliant season that included 128 receptions for 1,804 yards and 8 touchdowns, he has been a dominant receiver since he was drafted with the No. 22 pick in the 2020 draft out of Louisiana State.

Jefferson stands alone as the most productive receiver in NFL history after the first three seasons of his career. Jefferson has eclipsed the likes of Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr., A.J. Green and Michael Thomas for overall productivity at the start of a career.

Does that mean Jefferson is on his way to joining Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, Terrell Owens and Moss at the top of the game’s all-time great receivers? In most cases, the answer would be a simple no, because it’s difficult to attain excellence in the NFL and it’s even more difficult to sustain.

Injuries are often the reason players are unable to continue at the highest level, and that could be the factor that derails Jefferson because no player is invulnerable. However, that appears to be the only reason that could slow down Jefferson because he has so many factors working for him.

He may be less likely than many of his peers to suffer the nagging injuries that slow so many players down. His conditioning, which includes his diet, exercise routine and strength training, has allowed him to gain an advantage over his competitors.

On the field, Jefferson combines remarkable athletic ability with detailed study of the defensive backs in coverage. That’s often the modus operandi of veteran receivers who are looking for the smallest edges to get the best of their opponents. But Jefferson is either at the peak of his physical skills or very close to it and he refuses to depend on his speed, quickness, leaping ability or hands. Instead, he combines all of those characteristics with a desire to find out his opponent’s weaknesses and exploit them.

Here are the numbers through Jefferson’s first three seasons. He has caught 324 passes for 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns. Through Moss’s first three years – also with the Vikings – he had 226 receptions for 4,163 yards and 43 touchdowns. Beckham was also right up there with 288 catches for 4,125 yards and 35 scores.

Rice is clearly the best receiver in NFL history, and he was impressive through his first three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He had 200 receptions for 3,575 yards and 40 touchdowns, as he demonstrated the talent to make big plays when the Niners needed them most.

Jefferson is on his way, and the belief here is that he will rank with the top five receivers of all-time when he calls it a career. Of course, he’s got a long way to go before that happens, and he should have another 12 seasons or more of productivity.