Justin Jefferson Admits to “Jealousy” of Another NFL QB-WR Duo
Josh Frey
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Before Justin Jefferson became an NFL star with the Minnesota Vikings, he was part of a historically great offense at LSU.
During Jefferson’s final collegiate season of 2019, the Tigers averaged a ridiculous 48.4 points per game, and they beat their opponents, on average, by around 27 points per game. LSU went 15-0 that season and cruised to national championship over Trevor Lawrence’s Clemson Tigers, winning that title game by a score of 42-25.
Of course, Jefferson isn’t the only player from that LSU squad to go on and become a successful NFL player. QB Joe Burrow was the first overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, and just one year later, WR Ja’Marr Chase went fifth overall. Both players now suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals, and recently, Jefferson admitted he is a little jealous that his former teammates get to play together again.
Justin Jefferson Admits to Being Jealous of Former LSU Teammates
The Vikings WR joined Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls podcast over the past week and talked about his former collegiate teammates. “I love them together,” Jefferson said. “I love the chemistry that they have with each other, but it’s definitely some jealousy on that side.”
While these comments might raise some eyebrows for Vikings fans, it makes sense that Jefferson would be jealous of this tandem. Jefferson was Burrow’s favorite target during that 2019 season, and he totaled 111 catches, 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns while Chase recorded 84 receptions, 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns.
In terms of team success, the Bengals have certainly enjoyed more than the Vikings as well since the Burrow/Chase tandem was reunited. Cincinnati made the Super Bowl during Chase’s rookie season in 2021, and they followed that up with another AFC Championship Game appearance in 2022. Meanwhile, Minnesota has only made the playoffs once since Jefferson arrived, and during that 2022 season, they lost in the Wild Card round.
Of course, the wide receiver seems happy in Minnesota, and he has enjoyed the most productive start to a career that we’ve ever seen at the position, totaling 392 receptions, 5899 yards, and 30 touchdowns over his first four seasons. Despite only playing 10 games during the 2023 season, Jefferson still found a way to break Michael Thomas’ record for the most receiving yards in a player’s first four seasons.
However, the star receiver is entering uncertain times in Minnesota. Jefferson is yet to ink a new contract extension to remain with the Vikings for the future, and the plan at quarterback remains uncertain with the 2024 NFL Draft less than two weeks away.
Kirk Cousins is no longer around, and the Vikings could be entering training camp this summer with a QB battle between Sam Darnold and a rookie.
While Minnesota’s uncertainty at QB has caused some to bring up the idea of a Jefferson trade (and these most recent comments from the receiver certainly won’t help), it still feels likely that he will remain with the Vikings long-term.
During the Super Bowl week, Jefferson stated, “I definitely am grateful for what Minnesota has done for me. I definitely wouldn’t be in this situation if they didn’t pick me […] With everything that has happened, and everything I have gave to the organization, of course, I would want to stay, and that’s where I’ve been calling home ever since I got into the league.”
Jefferson will turn 25 years old on June 16th.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.