Justin Jefferson has already shattered multiple franchise and league records in his first five seasons in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver has been the cornerstone of the team’s offense.
Jefferson has been selected for the Pro Bowl in four of his first five NFL seasons. He made history by becoming the first player to surpass 7,000 receiving yards in their first five seasons. Additionally, Jefferson holds the record for the most 100-yard receiving performances before reaching age 26.
While many consider Jefferson the best wide receiver entering the 2025 NFL season, the Vikings star was snubbed from the top in the 2025 WR rankings. The coaches, executives, and scouts put Ja’Marr Chase ahead of the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year on the list.
During an episode of the “First Things First” show, NFL analyst Nick Wright shared his take on the rankings. He was asked if he thought Chase at the top was better than Jefferson.
“No. And not only am I not buying it, and I think Jamar is awesome. I think Jamar is a future Hall of Famer. He hasn't done enough yet, but I would bet on him being a Hall of Famer,” Wright said.
He went on to compare Jefferson’s status to the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I thought this was one of the positions that we didn't argue about, that it was the way kind of Mahomes should be talked about, and was talked about a couple of years ago. The debate starts at two.” Wright said.
“Even though Ja'Marr Chase won the receiving triple crown last year, I thought everybody understood that the best guy in the league is Justin Jefferson, who's never had a great quarterback.”
Wright backed his statement with Jefferson’s crazy career stats.
“You look at it as Sam Darnold won 14 games, I look at it as Justin Jefferson carried them when he's there, and he is,” he said. “And he averages more yards per game than any player in the history of the league. Of any position, any player, he averages the most. To me, Jefferson is clearly the number one.”
Jefferson has 7,432 yards, 495 catches, and 40 touchdowns since entering the league in 2020. Jefferson burst onto the scene in his rookie year, tallying 1,400 yards, 88 receptions, and seven touchdowns. He raised the bar even higher in his sophomore season, hauling in 108 passes for 1,616 yards and a career-best 10 touchdowns.
His rise continued in 2022, when Jefferson led the Vikings to the playoffs with 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Even with injuries limiting him to just 10 games in his fourth season, the Vikings' star receiver still surpassed 1,000 receiving yards. He followed that up with another impressive campaign last year, exceeding 1,500 receiving yards yet again.
Now, Jefferson has his sights set on surpassing the legendary franchise records held by Randy Moss (9,316 receiving yards) and Cris Carter (12,383 receiving yards).
Jefferson will be J.J. McCarthy’s top weapon in the upcoming NFL season. The young quarterback is set to take the QB mantle after missing his entire rookie season due to a knee injury. Vikings fans would hope to see Jefferson crush more records and shut his critics.
The Vikings’ incredible run was cut short by the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round last season. Jefferson will be the key to the Vikings' deeper run to the postseason next year.
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