Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson heard all of the talk of a sophomore slump. He listened to the doubt, took it all in and used it as fuel in 2021.
Most thought he would moonwalk quicker than the late, great Michael Jackson after posting a monstrous rookie season—88 receptions for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. But he came back for a sequel that has blown the original out of the water.
And guess what? It isn’t over yet.
“I feel like I just heard all of the people saying the sophomore slump, him not being able to do it again and that was a lucky first year—I listen to all of those things, and I just let that fuel towards my game,” Jefferson said at a media conference on Thursday.
Jefferson eclipsed Los Angeles Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s record for the most receiving yards ever in the first two seasons for an NFL player. Now, he’s 124 receiving yards away from surpassing Randy Moss’ single-season franchise record for most receiving yards in a Vikings uniform.
He has 103 receptions for 1,509 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. If this was supposed to be the sophomore slump, the rest of the league has officially been put on notice for 2022.