The man known for The Griddy was giddy in the final postgame press conference of his rookie season.
Justin Jefferson stands alone as the only NFL rookie receiver in history to record 1,400 yards. Wearing custom cleats bearing Randy Moss‘s image and his rookie-season stats, Jefferson leapfrogged the Minnesota Vikings legend in the record books with a nine-catch, 133-yard performance in the Vikings’ Week 17 win.
“It’s an honor to break Randy Moss’s record,” Jefferson said, smiling throughout the press conference. “Him being a Hall of Famer and him just being so dominant in this league, to break his record is truly a blessing. It’s truly crazy to be in this position. The cleats, I had to honor him. I had a good chance to break the record today, so I had to put him on the cleats. I gotta get him to sign them so I can put them in my trophy case.”
Jefferson was a great diversion from an otherwise dismal season for the Vikings. The likely Rookie of the Year exceeded every preseason expectation, causing fans to drop any ruefulness about the Stefon Diggs trade and giving them a beacon of optimism heading into 2021. His emergence kept blowout losses interesting, and his personality was a welcome presence on Zoom calls during a remote season of coverage for reporters.
But it won’t stay that way forever. Big box scores weren’t enough to satiate Moss in Minnesota, and they won’t be for Jefferson either. The 21-year-old accomplished everything he set out to accomplish in his first season, but it came in a 7-9 campaign, which is the greatest difference between Jefferson and Moss at this stage — rookie Moss was playing for a contender. Minnesota’s task now is to make sure Jefferson’s 2021 season features a playoff chase; not just a record chase.
Rookie seasons are usually adjustment periods for first-year players: learning how to practice well, how to study, how to treat their body, how to play at NFL speed. Jefferson seemed to breeze past those typical prerequisites. He was ready immediately when the Vikings chose to start him in Week 3 — arguably two weeks too late. Even Jefferson was wondering after Sunday’s game what he could’ve accomplished had he started the first two weeks against the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.
“What if I would’ve had those two games starting and having the same targets I had this year?” Jefferson pondered. “Who knows what I would’ve did with that. I guess I’ll just wait until next year to start out from Week 1 and hopefully I get more yards than I did this year.”
The individual accolades are a valid measure of Jefferson’s greatness as a rookie, and Jefferson has been happy to indulge questions about his place in history. The former LSU Tiger was the fifth receiver taken in the draft, enough to produce a chip on his shoulder that fueled his rookie success. Establishing himself as the draft’s top receiver has been exciting for Jefferson. Make no mistake, he should be proud of that distinction.
“All of the doubts, all of the people that doubted me at the beginning of the season and didn’t think I was going to have this type of season or didn’t think I was the player that I am — all of that was just built up on me,” Jefferson said. “I just released the beast. I just went out there and played my ball. Just was true to the process and let my game play for itself. I’m definitely stoked about this season.”
Now he’ll need a new source of fuel: Winning. A player of Jefferson’s caliber won’t be satisfied forever simply by outplaying his pre-draft expectations. And the Vikings, in turn, should realize how desperate they should be to take advantage of a generational talent.
“Jefferson’s a good player,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “I love the way he competes. He catches everything. He’s continually getting better and better and better. He’s a great weapon to have and should be for many, many years.”
The bar is officially raised. The Vikings had a quarterback and three skill players that graded out as top 10 players at their position this year, per Pro Football Focus, and Jefferson has potential to be the best of the bunch. That shouldn’t equate to a team sitting on the couch in January. It’ll be up to them to evaluate how Jefferson’s excellence changes their offensive philosophy.
And personally, Jefferson will have to deal with the pressure of building on a historic rookie season. That’s a heavy burden to carry. He’s already got Step 1 in his plan figured out.
“One, take a long vacation, that’s for sure,” Jefferson said. “Keep playing my own game, keep trusting the process and let my play speak for itself. I definitely have some more things to learn, some more things to pick up, so only time will tell.”
