Justin Jefferson Hits Another Career Milestone
Josh Frey
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Justin Jefferson has been one of the best receivers the league has ever seen over his first four seasons.
That has been evident once again throughout Week 18 against the Detroit Lions as the receiver has racked up nine receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown through the first three quarters. With his 38-yard touchdown reception during the third quarter, Jefferson hit yet another career milestone, surpassing 1000 receiving yards for the fourth straight season.
Justin Jefferson Hits Another Milestone
With the Vikings trailing 20-6 late in the third, Minnesota needed a spark to get back into the game. They got exactly that from their star receiver as QB Nick Mullens hit him deep for the touchdown to cut the deficit to one touchdown. Take a look:
In the history of the NFL, there have been a total of five players to total 1000 yards in each of their first four NFL seasons. Those players are Randy Moss (1998-2001), A.J. Green (2011-14), Mike Evans (2014-17), Michael Thomas (2016-19), and now, Jefferson (2020-2023).
Throughout Jefferson’s first three seasons, he reached these marks with ease, recording 1400, 1616, and 1809 yards, respectively. This year, it took until the final week of the season because Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury back in Week 5 that required him to miss seven games on injured reserve.
When Jefferson came back from IR, he played just one quarter in Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders before leaving the game with a chest injury.
Since then, though, the receiver has been on an absolute tear to close the year. He has recorded 5+ receptions in each of Minnesota’s final four games and 80+ receiving yards in four of them in order to get to that 1000-yard mark.
The Vikings’ top priority this offseason needs to be ensuring that Jefferson plays in a purple jersey for year to come by coming to an agreement on a contract extension. It wasn’t able to happen last year, but hopefully, it can in 2024.
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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.