Justin Jefferson’s Strange New Reality with the Vikings
Justin Jefferson, 26, is the elder statesman among Minnesota’s receivers. A bit odd, right?
Drafted at No. 22 back in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jefferson is indisputably among the game’s great players. He now has a “C” on his chest and is the team’s best player, a tremendous compliment given that the roster boasts some excellent players. What’s weird is simply that someone so young is his position’s leader in NFL experience by quite a lot.
Justin Jefferson as the Senior Receiver
From Week 3 of 2020 onward, Mr. Jefferson has been the Vikings’ top pass catcher. His status as the WR1 isn’t the odd part of his job description.
Rather, the notable detail rests in the lack of veteran options surrounding him. Adam Thielen was around for the first trio of seasons, functioning as an older receiver who had accomplished much while still being capable of playing strong ball. Having Thielen around to help guide the still-young superstar must have been welcome in the Twin Cities. The former UDFA ventured elsewhere in 2023, replaced by Jordan Addison as the team opted to go younger (and cheaper) at WR2.
Even last season, the team had Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield around in the receiver room. Neither were looked at as options to lead the receivers — they were the WR4 and WR5 who were in town to block and help on specials — but both are older and entered the NFL before Justin Jefferson.
Currently, the roster doesn’t boast anyone like that. Consider the NFL experience — or lack thereof — within the team’s crowded receiver competition:
| Receiver | NFL Debut Season | Years of Exp. | Offensive Snaps | Age |
| Justin Jefferson | 2020 | 5 | 4,572 | 26 |
| Rondale Moore | 2021 | 4 | 1,648 | 25 |
| Tim Jones | 2021 | 4 | 653 | 27 |
| Jalen Nailor | 2022 | 3 | 724 | 26 |
| Jordan Addison | 2023 | 2 | 1,739 | 23 |
| Lucky Jackson | 2023 | 2 | 3 | 27 |
| Thayer Thomas | 2023 | 2 | 0 | 27 |
| Jeshaun Jones | 2024 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Tai Felton | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Silas Bolden | 2025 | 0 | 0 | ? |
| Dontae Fleming | 2025 | 0 | 0 | ? |
| Robert Lewis | 2025 | 0 | 0 | ? |
| Myles Price | 2025 | 0 | 0 | ? |
The Vikings’ roster — very helpfully, one that can be sorted to cluster the receivers together on the team website — has players who are older than Justin Jefferson. None, though, began their NFL careers before him.
Another wild reality: Jefferson alone is close to having more offensive snaps than the rest of the other receivers combined. The WR1 has put in 4,572 snaps across his opening five seasons, a total that would have soared into the 5,000+ range had he not missed so much time due to injury in 2023. The other dozen receivers all added together? Just 4,767 snaps.
By a wide margin, Justin Jefferson is the most experienced NFL receiver on Minnesota’s roster.
In 2025, Mr. Jefferson will officially leave his rookie contract behind since he has cleared the first four years and then the 5th-year option. He’s now moving into his four-year extension that is coming in at a beefy $140 million.
He put together yet another excellent season last year, piling up 103 catches, 1,533 yards, and 10 touchdowns with Sam Darnold throwing him the ball. Repeating those numbers with J.J. McCarthy at the QB1 spot would represent a major win for the new receiver/quarterback tandem.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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