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Sam Darnold hasn’t gotten paid for his impressive 2024 season. Maybe it’s because he hadn’t been getting Justin Jefferson into the end zone. Still, in a two-touchdown game versus the Falcons, Jefferson made NFL history for the Minnesota Vikings.
Jefferson’s yardage total for his career set him apart from all others before him, according to a post on X by Jordan Schultz.
“#Vikings WR Justin Jefferson just became the first player in NFL history to surpass 7,000 receiving yards in his first five seasons. 7,000+ yards in 5 years — and he's missed some time, and this season isn’t over. That is crazy.”
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson becoming one of best ever
It’s still early in Jefferson’s career. This is only his fifth NFL season. But his yardage totals are 1,400 followed by 1,616, and then 1,809. Last year he had 1,074 in only 10 games, and this year he has 1,038 in 12 games.
That’s impressive consistency for the former first-round pick. The Vikings got him at No. 22 overall in 2020.
Jefferson has excelled because of his competitive nature, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said, according to vikings.com.
“He's one of the most competitive people I've ever been around,” O'Connell said. “Like the outcome of him not having a major impact on the game is really not a possibility in his mind.”
There's plenty to appreciate with Jefferson's game
And he’s unselfish, O’Connell said.
“I love the way Justin handles himself,” O’Connell said. “ I love the way he prides himself on his leadership and being a captain. It's about going 1-0 yesterday in Chicago, but I do feel a responsibility to always let him feel that he's impacting the game, and it's easy for me to say, ‘You drew some penalties and you made a couple big catches,' but the actual reality of making plays and the energy and the igniter that he is for our whole team is still a very important thing.”
Other teams see it, too. Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said Jefferson is an elite player, according to Sports Illustrated.
“He's elite,” Jaguars defensive coodintor Ryan Nielsen said. “He's playing at a high level. I think their whole offense is operating at an extremely high level. Kevin's done a great job with the quarterback and not just Jefferson, but they've got other pieces that are scary.
“Obviously, Jefferson, he's at the top of the game receiver-wise. So, we've got to stay on top of him. That's the biggest thing. He's going to get his catches. Just stay on top. Eliminate the explosive catches and then tackle. Get him on the ground because he is a good run-after-catch guy. If he gets his catch, keep it as short as we can and then get him on the ground and let's line up and play again.”
