Justin Jefferson feels he will overtake Davante Adams as the NFL’s best wide receiver next year.
While Justin Jefferson has put up historic numbers in his first two years in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, he still believes he is chasing Davante Adams (for now) as the NFL‘s best wide receiver.
In Jefferson’s interview with Complex, he gives his props to Adams, but knows he will be next.
“I’ll say after this year, I’ll be the best receiver in the NFL,” said Jefferson to Complex. “I definitely have to give it to Davante Adams as of now, him being so crazy and dynamic on the field. His route running is crazy, so I definitely have to give it to him right now, but I’m pretty sure after this year, it’s going to be me.”
As far as him waiting until after his third year to see himself as the best, Jefferson offered this.
“I think I have to do it three years in a row for everybody to believe so,” continued Jefferson. “Some people don’t think that after two years, you deserve to be at the top of the league. And then me, I feel like I’m going to surpass 1,600 yards, too. So I think that I’ll become the best receiver after this year.”
In short, one good year could be seen as a fluke. Two great years could be seen as a lucky trend. But three excellent years in a row, that is impossible to ignore. Jefferson is very well aware of this. However, if we want to include his sensational 2019 college season at LSU, he is already there. Regardless, Jefferson has the potential to be the best Vikings wide receiver since Randy Moss.
Will he usurp Adams to become the best wide receiver in all of football by the end of the season?
Justin Jefferson believes he will be the NFL’s best wide receiver after next season
At this time, it is hard to argue for Jefferson to be any lower than fifth across the league at his position group. He is in a tier with the likes of Adams, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp and his former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase, among others. There are many great receivers scattered across the NFL, but few have made us turn our heads as often as Jefferson has over the last two seasons.
Although Adams may technically downgrade at quarterback going from Aaron Rodgers to Derek Carr, the drop-off shouldn’t be as significant as people may realize. Keep in mind that Adams and Carr are close friends, as they were college teammates at Fresno State. Though Jefferson has put up his great numbers with a relatively similar quarterback in Kirk Cousins, other teams have better.
See, this is a huge advantage for wide receivers like Chase and Kupp. Chase gets to catch passes from his college teammate Joe Burrow professionally, while Kupp became Super Bowl 56 MVP doing everything for Matthew Stafford. Hill obviously downgraded this offseason by going from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa in his trade from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins.
Ultimately, it is both a blessing and a curse for Jefferson to be playing with Cousins. He will get his numbers alright, as Cousins is consistently one of the better quarterbacks in the league in that regard. However, Cousins has never proven himself to be a quarterback capable of carrying his team and winning multiple playoff games. Jefferson will get his respect, but probably not a ring.
Adams may be the best wide receiver in football, but he is not the one Jefferson needs to monitor.