Cris Carter names Vikings All-Time top 5 Receivers

Cris Carter Has a Stunning Declaration for Vikings
Carter spoke with former NFLer Brandon Marshall last week, and Marshall took the opportunity to ask Carter for his top five wide receivers from the purple team’s history. A fair question — most would expect Carter to put himself or Randy Moss in the driver’s seat, at least per longevity, but Carter disagreed.

“Jake Reed, number five. 
I’m a gonna go with Anthony Carter number four. 
I’m gonna go with Randy Moss number three. 
I’m gonna go with a dude named Cris Carter number two. 
And they got a dude playing for their team now that is the number one dude,” Carter opined.

The unbelievably high praise for Jefferson is warranted — he’s universally considered the top wide receiver in football — but even some Vikings fans might have a different order in 2024. Most would rank Moss at the top, followed by Carter, and then Jefferson at No. 3, mainly because his career is just 4.3 years old. Thereafter, folks would debate Anthony Carter, Jake Reed, and Adam Thielen pretty vociferously.

Meanwhile, Jefferson personally reacted surprised and graciously to Carter’s elite praise.

“Wow, that’s crazy. To put me in front of him, that’s something that kind of speaks for itself. You know as a receiver, you’re never putting somebody else in front of you, especially how Cris Carter has played and what he has done for the Vikings organization. That’s special,” Jefferson responded.

“Words don’t even reflect how I feel about that. But to say the guys that came from the Vikings, Randy Moss, Jake Reed, there’s plenty of guys that came in this purple and gold that had the right to say that they’re one of the top receivers that ever came through. For him to list me number one is very special. I have goosebumps kind of thinking about it.”

Carter ranks fourth all-time in receiving touchdowns and 13th in receiving yards. He has the Hall of Fame resume to brag and weigh in.

Jefferson added about Carter’s shoutout: “But Cris Carter has been my guy ever since I came into the league. He was my mentor coming into the combine. For him to still be here and still to give me those words of wisdom and kind of be in my ear and just telling me what to do and what not to do and being the player that I am, very special.”

The young Viking owns virtually every receiving yards record imaginable through a player’s first four seasons, a trend likely to continue when his fifth season ends.

Jefferson’s Vikings will host the Detroit Lions in 11 days after a bye week and are early three-point home underdogs.