 Jefferson with theMinnesota Vikings in 2022 | |||||||||
| No. 18 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1999-06-16)June 16, 1999 (age 26) St. Rose, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Destrehan(Destrehan, Louisiana) | ||||||||
| College | LSU (2017–2019) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2020: 1st round, 22nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2025 | |||||||||
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Justin Jamal Jefferson (born June 16, 1999)[2] is an American professionalfootballwide receiver for theMinnesota Vikings of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theLSU Tigers, where he won the2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as a junior before being drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the2020 NFL draft.
Jefferson has been named to thePro Bowl and theAll-Pro team in four of his first five seasons and has amassed the most receiving yards through a player's first five seasons in NFL history. In 2022, at 23 years old, he became the youngest player to lead the league in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809), earningOffensive Player of the Year honors.
Justin Jamal Jefferson was born on June 16, 1999, to John and Elaine Jefferson.[3][4][5] He attendedDestrehan High School inDestrehan, Louisiana.[6] A low three-star prospect, ranked by 247Sports as the nation's 308th best wide receiver coming out of high school, he committed toLouisiana State University (LSU) to playcollege football.[7][8]
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Jefferson played at LSU for three years under head coachEd Orgeron.[9]
After appearing in two games and not recording a catch in his first year at LSU in 2017, Jefferson was their leading receiver in 2018 with 54 catches for 875 yards and sixtouchdowns.[10][11][12] He scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 65-yard reception fromJoe Burrow againstOle Miss on September 29, 2018.[13] He had two games going over the 100-yard mark with 108 in a victory overGeorgia and 117 in a victory overArkansas.[14][15]
_(cropped)_Jefferson.jpg)
In the Tigers' second game of the 2019 season, Jefferson had nine receptions for 163 yards and three touchdowns in a 45–38 victory on the road againstTexas.[16] On October 12, againstFlorida, he had ten receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown in the 42–28 victory.[17] In theSEC Championship, againstGeorgia, he had seven receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown in the 37–10 victory.[18] Jefferson and the Tigers qualified for the College Football Playoffs with an undefeated record in the 2019 season.[19] He had a historic performance in thePeach Bowl, catching 14 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns against theOklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at thePeach Bowl. All four touchdowns came in the first half, setting aCollege Football Playoff game record and tying the record for any bowl game.[20] In theNational Championship againstClemson, he had nine receptions for 106 yards in the 42–25 victory.[21] In his junior season, Jefferson led the country with 111 receptions. His 18 receiving touchdowns ranked second in the country—behind only teammateJa'Marr Chase—and his 1,540 receiving yards were ranked third. He had eight games going over the 100-yard mark.[22][23] On January 15, 2020, Jefferson announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter theNFL draft.[24]
| LSU Tigers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||||
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 54 | 875 | 16.2 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 111 | 1,540 | 13.9 | 18 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| Career | 165 | 2,415 | 14.6 | 24 | 6 | 30 | 5.0 | 0 | ||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.43 s | 1.57 s | 2.61 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 19 | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[25][26][27] | ||||||||||||
Jefferson was selected by theMinnesota Vikings in the first round with the 22nd overall pick in the2020 NFL draft.[28] The Vikings previously obtained the 22nd selection as part of a blockbuster trade that sent wide receiverStefon Diggs to theBuffalo Bills, a trade that has been considered by many around the league as one of the “top win-win deals ever.”[29][30] Jefferson signed a four-year, $13.12 million contract with the team, with a $7.1 million signing bonus.[31] Jefferson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on July 27, 2020,[32] before being cleared and activated a week later.[33]Jefferson made his debut in Week 1 against theGreen Bay Packers, recording two receptions for 26 yards.[34] He made his first start of the season in a Week 3 game against theTennessee Titans, where he had his first big breakthrough by finishing with 175 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions, but the Vikings lost 31–30.[35] He followed up that performance the next week with four receptions for 103 yards in a 31–23 win over theHouston Texans. In doing so, he became just the fifth rookie wide receiver in Vikings history to have back-to-back games with at least 100 yards receiving.[36] During Week 6 against theAtlanta Falcons, Jefferson finished with nine receptions for 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns.[37]
In Week 13 against theJacksonville Jaguars, Jefferson recorded nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown during a 27–24 overtime win, in this game he broke the 1,000 receiving yard mark.[38] In Week 15 against theChicago Bears, Jefferson brokeRandy Moss' Vikings rookie receiving record by catching eight passes, putting him at 74 receptions, surpassing the 69 catches Moss had in 1998.[39]
By the season's end, Jefferson had set the NFL record for most receiving yards (1,400) by a rookie in NFL history after surpassingAnquan Boldin's 1,377 yards in 2003 (although his record would be broken by his former LSU teammateJa'Marr Chase the following season).[40] He was one of only two rookies named to the2021 Pro Bowl, alongside defensive endChase Young of theWashington Football Team.[41] He was named Rookie of the Year by theSporting News.[42] He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.[43] He was ranked 53rd by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2021.[44]
Jefferson's season started strong, putting up over 100 receiving yards against theSeattle Seahawks,Detroit Lions, andLos Angeles Chargers over the first eight games of the season. In Week 11, Jefferson had eight catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a 34–31 win over the Packers, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week.[45] In Week 13, Jefferson caught 11 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown in a 29–27 loss to the Lions. Jefferson's 464 yards and three touchdowns through four games in the month of November earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Month, the first of his career.[46] During Week 16, Jefferson passedOdell Beckham Jr. for most receiving yards by a player in his first two NFL seasons.[47]Jefferson finished the season with 1,616 receiving yards, good for second-most in the NFL in 2021, and just 16 yards short of Randy Moss's single-season franchise record.[48][49][50][51] Jefferson was named to the2022 Pro Bowl, joiningRandy Moss andSammy White as the only three Vikings wide receivers to make Pro Bowls in each of their first two professional seasons.[52][53] For the second consecutive year, Jefferson was named a second-team member of the APAll-Pro team, missing a spot on the first-team by a single vote.[54] He was ranked 17th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[55]
Against the Packers in Week 1, Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the 23–7 win.[56] During Week 4 against theNew Orleans Saints atTottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jefferson finished with 147 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown as the Vikings won 28–25.[57] The following week against Bears, Jefferson caught a career-high 12 catches resulting in 154 yards receiving in the 29–22 win.[58] Jefferson's third catch of the game marked 227 career receptions, surpassing Randy Moss for the franchise record of the most receptions in the first three years of a career.[59]
Against theBuffalo Bills in Week 10, Jefferson caught 10 passes for a career-high 193 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings went on to win 33–30 in overtime.[60] One of Jefferson's catches came with two minutes left in the fourth quarter where on 4th down and 18, Jefferson made a one-handed catch for 32 yards, wrestling the ball away from Bills cornerbackCam Lewis on the way to the ground. The catch was widely heralded as one of the greatest of all time,[61] and the play was named theNFL Play of the Year award at the end of the season. His arm sleeves and gloves from the game were also put on display in thePro Football Hall of Fame.[62] He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against the Bills.[63] In Week 12, against theNew England Patriots, he had nine receptions for 139 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 33–26 victory.[64] In the game against the Patriots, Jefferson passed Moss for the most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons.[65] He won NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November.[66] In Week 14 against the Lions, Jefferson recorded 11 receptions for 223 yards, setting the Vikings single-game record for receiving yards, in the 34–23 road loss.[67] Additionally, in week 15 against theIndianapolis Colts, Jefferson recorded 12 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown, setting his season total to 1,623 yards, a new career high.[68] Against the Packers in Week 17, he was held to one catch on five targets for 15 yards, the lowest stats in a game of his career. During the same game, Jefferson appeared to inadvertently hit a referee with his helmet out of clear frustration, and received no punishment for the incident.[69][70] He earned first-team All-Pro honors and a third Pro Bowl nomination for his career.[71][72]
Jefferson finished the 2022 regular season with a league-leading 128 receptions for 1,809 yards and nine total touchdowns (eight receiving, one rushing).[73] He won the Offensive Player of the Year award, as well as being a final candidate for the league MVP award.[74][75] He was ranked second by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2023.[76]
On April 25, 2023, the Vikings picked up the fifth-year option of Jefferson's rookie contract.[77] Jefferson started the 2023 regular season with nine receptions for 150 yards in a 20–17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.[78] Four days later, he had 11 receptions for 159 in a 34–28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.[79] In Week 3, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had seven receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown in the 28–24 loss.[80] In Week 4, he had two receiving touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in the 21–13 victory.[81] On October 11, 2023, the Vikings placed Jefferson oninjured reserve, due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 5 against theKansas City Chiefs.[82] The Vikings activated Jefferson off of injured reserve on November 28, 2023.[83] In his return against theLas Vegas Raiders in Week 14, Jefferson caught two passes for 27 yards before leaving with a chest injury in the second quarter.[84]
Despite missing seven games due to injury, Jefferson still managed to finish the 2023 season with over 1,000 receiving yards.[85] During the season, he set an NFL record for most receiving yards through a player's first four seasons.[86] He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2024.[87]
On June 3, 2024, Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension that includes $110 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract with the Vikings through the 2028 season. The deal made Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at an average of $35 million per year.[88]
In Week 2, Jefferson caught a 97-yard touchdown pass and achieved 400 career receptions in a 23–17 win over theSan Francisco 49ers. He also tiedLance Alworth for the fastest player in NFL history to achieve 6,000 career receiving yards, doing so in 62 games.[89] In Week 11 against theTennessee Titans, Jefferson passedTorry Holt for the most receiving yards in a player's first five NFL seasons.[90] Jefferson eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in Week 13 against theArizona Cardinals, becoming the fourth receiver in NFL history to record 1,000 yards in each of his first five seasons.[91] After a career-long six game touchdown drought, Jefferson had his first multi-touchdown performance of the season in Week 14 against theAtlanta Falcons, finishing with 132 yards and two scores in a 42–21 victory.[92][93] In Week 16, he had ten receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns in a 27–24 win over the Seattle Seahawks.[94] He finished the 2024 season with 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and ten touchdowns.[95]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| APNFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career best |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | MIN | 16 | 14 | 88 | 1,400 | 15.9 | 87.5 | 71 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | MIN | 17 | 17 | 108 | 1,616 | 15.0 | 95.1 | 56 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 2.3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | MIN | 17 | 17 | 128 | 1,809 | 14.1 | 106.4 | 64 | 8 | 4 | 24 | 6.0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | MIN | 10 | 9 | 68 | 1,074 | 15.8 | 107.4 | 52 | 5 | 1 | −12 | −12.0 | −12 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | MIN | 17 | 17 | 103 | 1,533 | 14.9 | 90.2 | 97 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | MIN | 8 | 8 | 47 | 649 | 13.8 | 81.1 | 50 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 85 | 82 | 542 | 8,081 | 14.9 | 95.0 | 97 | 42 | 14 | 35 | 2.5 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 7 | 47 | 6.7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 5 | 58 | 11.6 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 2 | 2 | 12 | 105 | 8.8 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
His brothers,Jordan and Rickey, also played college football at LSU. Their father, John, playedDivision II college basketball.[96] On April 27, 2021, Jefferson was the first NFL player to have a reference inFortnite with the dance, theGriddy.[97]
Wrong, Jamal.
Wrong, Jamal.
