Justin Jefferson might end up with some hardware at the end of this season.
While Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is in pole position for the Rookie of the Year award, he is by no means completely clear of some of his competition. Herbert might need to start looking over his shoulder at Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who continues to accrue yards and touchdowns at a tremendous pace.
Jefferson’s performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars put him over 1,000 yards in his first 12 games. The other four wide receivers to hit 1K in that 12-game span are Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr., Anquan Boldin, and Marques Colston. Safe to say, that is some fairly accomplished company.
Justin Jefferson has quickly become an elite starting wide receiver
Not only is Jefferson topping 1,000 yards in a vacuum an outstanding accomplishment, but he’s doing so in a Kirk Cousins-led offense that isn’t necessarily a high-octane passing attack. Gary Kubiak loves to use two tight ends and pound the football with Dalvin Cook, often giving Jefferson fewer opportunities to pile up those yards than most elite receivers get.
Jefferson, who only fell to the Vikings after the Eagles took TCU speedster Jalen Reagor with the 21st pick, has shown off the blend of sure hands, quality route-running, and ability to separate at the line of scrimmage that made him Joe Burrow’s most frequently targeted receiver during his fantastic final season at Baton Rouge. Once Jefferson gets a touch stronger and faster, we could be looking at a perennial All-Pro.
It’s always difficult to unseat a quarterback when it comes to earning some hardware, especially when a rookie quarterback is playing like Herbert is playing, but Jefferson has been a key factor in Minnesota’s sudden turnaround, and that should get some writers thinking about making him the ROY.