Justin Jefferson Receives Unfortunate News Amid Close Friend’s Departure
Fast friends from the NFL Combine in 2020, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has to say goodbye to recent teammate Trishton Jackson.
The fellow wide receiver signed a futures/reserve contract with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday after a four-year stint with the Vikings. Jackson originally met Jefferson at the combine because of the alphabetical order of the receiver lineup for drills.
“I met him at the combine, and we were with each other every step of the way. It feels the same way here. Ever since I got to Minnesota, he’s been with me every step of the way,” Jackson told Lindsey Young of Vikings.com in August.
“He’s my brother away from home. He’s helped me in every situation — on the field, off the field,” Jackson continued. “We always watch film together at his house, but I feel like our relationship is deeper than football. Whatever everybody sees on the football field is like, that’s cool, but as far as me and him, we’re bigger than football.”
Jackson first signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020, but the Rams waived him before the season. He found his way back to the NFL with the Vikings in 2021 when the team signed him to the practice squad.
That’s when Jackson and Jefferson became stronger friends despite the wide gap in career trajectories. Jefferson, a high first-round draft, has become one of the league’s brightest stars at any position. Jackson came into the league undrafted, and he has battled for a spot with an NFL team the whole way.
“You know, he’s a hooper, so he knows how to move, how to get open and, I mean, the catch point of the ball, he’s definitely making plays out there,” Jefferson told reporters in August 2024 via Young. “He’s showing up every time on the film, so the more he shows up, the more he has a chance to be out there on the field on Sunday.”
No one on the Vikings sideline showed more enthusiasm for Jackson than Jefferson during a big performance in the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders. Jackson caught rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s first career touchdown pass amid a 100-yard receiving game, and Jefferson went wild on the sidelines.
“Yeah, I can’t imagine what it feels like for him to be given an opportunity, and not every opportunity is fantastic or great, so for him to be the spotlight of Saturday’s game and to have his first 100-yard game, you know, that’s something special for him,” Jefferson said. “Especially the way he’s been performing this entire training camp and making plays all over the field. So, it was definitely awesome to see him get in the end zone finally, to see him just be excited and happy for that moment.”
Jackson admitted Jefferson’s excitement meant a lot.
“Sometimes I [forget] in our relationship, ‘OK, that’s Justin Jefferson.’ Because that’s also my brother,” Jackson says. “I know all the hard work I’ve done, but he sees it in me, too; he knows how good I can be.
“It was just a testimony of how hard I work. How hard we both work together,” he added.
While Jackson has moved on, Minnesota has re-signed futures/reserve players since the season ended in the Wild Card round. That included three receivers from the 2024 practice squad: Lucky Jackson, Jeshaun Jones, and Thayer Thomas.
How far Jackson can go in the NFL with the Cardinals remains unknown, but he can take with him the many lessons he learned from Jefferson. Given the friendship they developed in Minnesota, Jefferson could be a text away for the aspiring 26-year-old wideout.
