12-24-2020, 08:24 PM
Justin Jefferson says he should win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year ahead of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. When asked to name the league's best receiver, his smile comes alive as he leans forward and proclaims, "Me! Me! I got to go with me!"
There's an electric swagger ingrained in this physically gifted 21-year-old Vikings receiver. But teammates and coaches swear the supreme confidence stops well short of arrogance and is coupled with a level of maturity that should alleviate fears that this rising superstar will grow unhappy and incompatible with a run-first offense built around Dalvin Cook.
Jefferson concurs. And, for the record, he and Cook both made the Pro Bowl while toiling together in Gary Kubiak's offense.
"I'm definitely an unselfish player," Jefferson said. "Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good. A lot of things have to work for our team to be successful.
"I'm not about to be a drama queen just because I'm not getting the amount of targets that I want."
At this point in the conversation, the elephant in the room is Jefferson's predecessor, Stefon Diggs. The co-author of the "Minneapolis Miracle" grew quite unhappy and incompatible with what essentially was the same system under Kevin Stefanski last year.
Diggs was fined $200,000 for skipping out on practice and meetings last fall. By spring, he had forced his way out of Minnesota and into the blissfulness of a Bills offense that has fed him a league-high 147 targets. His franchise-record 111 catches have helped the 11-3 Bills win their first AFC East title since 1995.
In a recent ESPN interview, Diggs said he lost trust in what the Vikings were telling him about his role and admitted, "Where they were headed in my eyes, it wasn't going to be in the best interest of my career. As a receiver, if you want to have success, you gotta catch the ball."
Jefferson, acquired with the first-round draft pick the Vikings got in the Diggs trade, has never met or talked to Diggs. But he calls himself a fan of Diggs' work ethic, his route running and his ability to create separation.
Asked if there will always be an underlying competition between the two of them, Jefferson doesn't shy away.
"I feel it will always be that type of conversation with us just because I'm replacing him and he went to a team where he wanted the ball a lot," Jefferson said. "So he's getting exactly what he wanted. He's doing things for his team and I'm doing things for mine. We are each our own player. We don't try to act like one another."
In the Big EasyWith two games left, Jefferson will be back home in New Orleans for a Christmas Day game against the Saints at the Superdome. A native of nearby St. Rose, he grew up the youngest of three sons of John and Elaine Jefferson.
Older brothers Jordan, 30, and Rickey, 25, played quarterback and safety, respectively, at LSU. Justin followed suit, somehow growing from a 5-7, 125-pound high school freshman to a 6-1, 202-pounder who won a national title with the Tigers at the Superdome 11 months ago.
"I got a picture of all of us in Saints shirts watching a game in 2009, the Super Bowl year, probably from when they beat the Vikings [in the NFC Championship Game]," said Rickey, who went undrafted and never played a regular season game but did spend the 2017 preseason with the Raiders and the 2018 season on the Saints' injured reserve.
"This is kind of a full-circle moment from growing up watching the Saints. But I can't ride with the home team on Christmas. I'm Skol Nation this time. We're really proud of Justin but he's not even scratching the surface of what he's capable of. He doesn't have a ceiling, and he's hungry as ever."
Rest of read here:
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-just...573475291/
There's an electric swagger ingrained in this physically gifted 21-year-old Vikings receiver. But teammates and coaches swear the supreme confidence stops well short of arrogance and is coupled with a level of maturity that should alleviate fears that this rising superstar will grow unhappy and incompatible with a run-first offense built around Dalvin Cook.
Jefferson concurs. And, for the record, he and Cook both made the Pro Bowl while toiling together in Gary Kubiak's offense.
"I'm definitely an unselfish player," Jefferson said. "Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good. A lot of things have to work for our team to be successful.
"I'm not about to be a drama queen just because I'm not getting the amount of targets that I want."
At this point in the conversation, the elephant in the room is Jefferson's predecessor, Stefon Diggs. The co-author of the "Minneapolis Miracle" grew quite unhappy and incompatible with what essentially was the same system under Kevin Stefanski last year.
Diggs was fined $200,000 for skipping out on practice and meetings last fall. By spring, he had forced his way out of Minnesota and into the blissfulness of a Bills offense that has fed him a league-high 147 targets. His franchise-record 111 catches have helped the 11-3 Bills win their first AFC East title since 1995.
In a recent ESPN interview, Diggs said he lost trust in what the Vikings were telling him about his role and admitted, "Where they were headed in my eyes, it wasn't going to be in the best interest of my career. As a receiver, if you want to have success, you gotta catch the ball."
Jefferson, acquired with the first-round draft pick the Vikings got in the Diggs trade, has never met or talked to Diggs. But he calls himself a fan of Diggs' work ethic, his route running and his ability to create separation.
Asked if there will always be an underlying competition between the two of them, Jefferson doesn't shy away.
"I feel it will always be that type of conversation with us just because I'm replacing him and he went to a team where he wanted the ball a lot," Jefferson said. "So he's getting exactly what he wanted. He's doing things for his team and I'm doing things for mine. We are each our own player. We don't try to act like one another."
In the Big EasyWith two games left, Jefferson will be back home in New Orleans for a Christmas Day game against the Saints at the Superdome. A native of nearby St. Rose, he grew up the youngest of three sons of John and Elaine Jefferson.
Older brothers Jordan, 30, and Rickey, 25, played quarterback and safety, respectively, at LSU. Justin followed suit, somehow growing from a 5-7, 125-pound high school freshman to a 6-1, 202-pounder who won a national title with the Tigers at the Superdome 11 months ago.
"I got a picture of all of us in Saints shirts watching a game in 2009, the Super Bowl year, probably from when they beat the Vikings [in the NFC Championship Game]," said Rickey, who went undrafted and never played a regular season game but did spend the 2017 preseason with the Raiders and the 2018 season on the Saints' injured reserve.
"This is kind of a full-circle moment from growing up watching the Saints. But I can't ride with the home team on Christmas. I'm Skol Nation this time. We're really proud of Justin but he's not even scratching the surface of what he's capable of. He doesn't have a ceiling, and he's hungry as ever."
Rest of read here:
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-just...573475291/
