Sam Darnold says he didn’t realize how hard Justin Jefferson worked until he signed with the Minnesota Vikings this year.
“To come here and understand exactly the kind of work ethic that he has,” said Darnold after practice on Thursday. “It’s very contagious just to see him, what he does when he’s here in the building and…out there on the field, the kind of work he puts in.”
Jefferson’s summer vacation began on the morning of July 31 and ended at the start of practice on August 2; he hasn’t taken a day off since.
“Every single day is a chance to get better at my craft,” he said on August 2 in response to a reporter asking why he doesn’t take more vet days. “There’s always things for me to work on, things for me to get better at. And I just try to figure out those things throughout the day.
“I try to be as perfect as possible, even though I’m not perfect. But I try to come out here with the mindset of trying to chase perfection and just trying to uplift my team in any way possible.”
Jefferson knows he’ll never be perfect. However, pursuing perfection has transformed him from an undersized zero-star recruit into one of the league’s best receivers. Jefferson made the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons and broke Randy Moss’ single-season franchise record for receiving yards in 2022*. However, he still has a chip on his shoulder from colleges overlooking him while growing up in suburban New Orleans.
“I never was put on a pedestal when I was growing up,” he said. “Never was the first one to be looked at. So I always just have that same mindset of always trying to get better every single day. I always preach that I’m not the most perfect receiver.
“So, there’s always room for me to improve on and things for me to work on.”
Jefferson entered the league with Kirk Cousins under center. Cousins had a .500 career record until Minnesota’s 13-4 season in 2022 and was occasionally overly cautious. Still, he was a veteran quarterback who could get Jefferson the ball.
However, Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8 last year and signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, leaving the Vikings to find a franchise quarterback who can maximize Jefferson. Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, and Nick Mullens could not fill the void Cousins left last season, leaving Jefferson without a reliable quarterback.
Jefferson also injured his hamstring in Week 5, which kept him out until Week 10 – when he suffered a lung contusion on Dobbs’ throw that was high and over the middle. In response, the Vikings signed Darnold, a veteran former third-overall pick, and drafted J.J. McCarthy as their franchise quarterback. Jefferson has also worked this offseason to avoid another hamstring injury.
“I’m so scared for it to happen again,” Jefferson admitted regarding his hamstring.
“I’ve been overly cautious about it, just trying to take care of my body in the right way. Just trying to find new ways and new things that I can implement in my day-to-day life that would better help me throughout the season. But I’ve definitely been working on my hamstrings a little bit more and making sure that I’m injury-proof.”
In making their decision to give him a day off, the Vikings looked at the amount Jefferson ran in practice, how hard he ran, and how much water weight he lost due to sweat. They likely allowed him to take other days off, but Jefferson refused. Given that he’s playing with a new quarterback this year, the extra practice time should pay off come Week 1.
“I never want to just sit out or miss practice,” said Jefferson. “That’s just time for improvement, time to get to work with the quarterbacks and that chemistry, that timing.”
Two years ago, Jefferson had 1,809 yards receiving, was Associated Press’ Offensive Player of the Year, and received MVP votes. He’ll need to stay healthy and maintain a good relationship with Darnold to build off that season. Jefferson has put in the work this off-season to return to form. He may not be perfect, but he probably will settle for being the best receiver in the league next year.
*An earlier version of this post misstated the year he broke the record. We regret the error.
