Fresh off a massive new contract, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is looking to have somewhat of a bounce-back season in 2024. While Jefferson did finish with over 1,000 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2023, injuries derailed a season in which he was on pace to break records.
Now, with an unsettled quarterback situation on the horizon, the team is likely to lean on Jefferson more than ever before. There are certainly other weapons in the offense: Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and T.J. Hockenson immediately spring to mind, but Jefferson is likely to be the focal point. That focus will lead to Jefferson being the team’s MVP, according to NFL.com’s lead NFL draft writer Eric Edholm.
The Vikings are another team where you can make a pretty strong argument that a non-QB is their best and most valuable player, especially with QB Kirk Cousins gone. Minnesota will be counting on Jefferson even more this season with a Sam Darnold-J.J. McCarthy QB pair, getting the ball in the receiver’s hands as much as humanly possible.
There was a strange dynamic last season, with the Vikings going 2-8 in games where Jefferson appeared, with a hamstring wiping out nearly half his 2023 season. But Cousins was injured for half of those 10 games, and six of the eight losses were by one score. Catching passes from Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall over the final four contests, Jefferson still managed to average 119 receiving yards per game. He’s their clear-cut alpha for now, no matter who is at QB.
No matter who’s at the helm, Jefferson will be the main focus of the Vikings’ offense, and he’s likely to produce no matter who’s throwing him the ball. Jefferson proved last season that he can put up numbers regardless of who the quarterback is. That kind of reliability may go a long way towards either jump-starting the rookie’s (McCarthy) career or revitalizing the maligned veteran’s (Darnold).