Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in today's NFL and it's not just because the dude is an absolute monster on the field - his work ethic and character also played major roles in getting him to where he is, today.
"That main contract, of course, it's something that I've been looking forward to for a long period of time, but it wasn't my main focus on playing football," Jefferson recently said during an interview with Minneapolis' KFAN 100.3. "I didn't wake up in the early mornings as a little kid, you know, excited to play a game, just to be one day at the highest-paid player. I always played the game just because I loved it. I had that joy to go out there and to have fun and, to do all that I needed to do to perform better than than my opponent.
"And I have that same type of spirit, that same type of energy towards the game. Just going out there having as much fun as possible. Of course, you know, just having the chemistry with the teammates and the coaches and the whole entire staff in this building. It makes it a lot easier coming to work."
His body of work speaks for itself: During his first four seasons, Jefferson has recorded the third-most receptions (392), the most yards (5,899), the most receiving yards per game (98.3), and the second-most first down receptions (264). Those numbers rank among all wideouts since the 1970 merger, which is obviously very, very impressive.
But it's the stuff behind-the-scenes, the things that we don't see, that really comprise the person Jefferson is. He's a true leader, a great teammate, someone that is all-in when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings.
And even better: There is no drama when it comes to Jefferson and what he wants his legacy to be.
"I felt like we weren't impatient during the process," said Jefferson. "We weren't, you know, saying that we're going to sit out and doing all this extra stuff on social media. It was strictly about business or strictly about getting the deal done and trying to get back to this team and back to this burden as fast as possible. I felt like the process definitely was was great all the way around. And I mean, I couldn't be more happier."
That also extends onto the field. How many times have we seen top wideouts blow up on the sideline because they aren't getting the ball enough during a tough game? How many times have we seen them passive aggressively take shots in pressers or on social media when they feel like they aren't involved, enough?
Sure, it's mostly the competitor in those guys, but at the same time, a lot of players look up to them as leaders and as examples on how to handle things. Behaving like that not only hurts their reputations, but it can have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the team.
Jefferson recognizes that and he's not going to play that game. Plain and simple.
"We have to depend on the quarterback to throw us the ball, [and] even before then, we have to focus on the o-line to pick up the blocks and the blitzes," said Jefferson. "Of course, the running backs have to step up and make a block. So, there are a lot of things that really have to go right for, you know, a receiver to even be thrown the football. So sometimes, those games, you're one of the top guys in the league. You're gonna get doubled, you're gonna get tripled, you're going to be the main game plan for the defense. So those times it gets frustrating, for sure, [but] you just can't let everyone else know. You just can't be that type of person to express your emotions [and] your feelings right then and there.
"Because just like I said, there's a lot of things that goes into it. You just have to be focusing on the game, knowing your time is going to come and of course making the most of those opportunities. And those those opportunities are not going to come every single game - you can't expect it to. So you know, you just got to make the most of it. Of course this is a team game so you can't just be selfish and worrying about getting your stats and the things that you want."
There's a reason Jefferson is the highest-paid non-QB in league history and it goes way beyond the stat sheet. The guy is the ultimate leader, teammate, and building block for any NFL team. And the best part? He's a Minnesota Viking until almost the next decade.
