Tag: Justin Jefferson

Watch Justin Jefferson come up clutch for NFC in Pro Bowl Skills Showdown

Who needs two hands when you’re Justin Jefferson?

The “Five D’s of Dodgeball” is actually six—dodge, duck, dip, dive, dodge and don’t throw the ball at Justin Jefferson.

Patches O’Houlihan would have been proud seeing the Minnesota Vikings wideout lead the NFC to a win in the final event of the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown. It came down to a dodgeball game with Jefferson and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb being the last two remaining contestants in the event.

Jefferson whiffed on a throw hurled in Chubb’s direction, and things initially appeared to be bleak for the All-Pro receiver. Chubb’s face lit up like Baker Mayfield’s on an Odell Beckham Jr. completion. He essentially had Jefferson caught out in the open with no ball to use as protection.

He reared back, delivered a dart—and Jefferson came up with the one-handed catch. Ball game!

I know what you’re going to ask. Why in the world is Justin Jefferson wearing sunglasses during a dodgeball matchup when it’s dark outside?

It’s clearly because his future is so bright.

[listicle id=59640]

Justin Jefferson approves of former teammate Joe Burrow’s ‘Griddy’ dance

Justin Jefferson approves of “Joe Griddy”

Like the rest of us, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson watched from the sidelines as his former teammates, Joe Burrow and Ja‘Marr Chase, helped the Cincinnati Bengals knock off the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship and punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVI.

But it was the thing that happened after the game that earned a retweet on Twitter from Jefferson.

Burrow stood onstage during the Lamar Hunt Trophy presentation and broke out his own rendition of the “Griddy” dance. The dance move was popularized by Jefferson as a touchdown celebration, but it was actually created by Allen Davis, a friend of Chase’s.

Now, you can add Burrow to the growing list of athletes hitting the move.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins attempted to “Griddy” after scoring a touchdown on a quarterback sneak against the Detroit Lions in Week 13.

It’s a shame Jefferson couldn’t get Mike Zimmer to do it at least once before he was fired as Vikings head coach. Zimmer hitting a “Griddy” would have been a sight to behold.

[listicle id=59384]

WATCH: LSU head coach Brian Kelly learns ‘The Griddy’

Brian Kelly just won’t stop going viral

There is a lot of talk about Brian Kelly as of late but it isn’t necessarily about football. He was the talk of social media after yet another video went viral with him dancing with tight end prospect Danny Lewis Jr.

The social media reactions weren’t exactly positive but the original video was seen over eight million times. It might not be what the casual fans want but make no mistake people are talking about Kelly. It could play right into the hands of the LSU Tigers in the world of recruiting. If the players love it then why not keep doing it.

It isn’t stopping there, Brian Kelly has his next assignment. It is time to learn “The Griddy” dance made famous by former LSU wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.

On Saturday night a video went on Twitter of the new LSU head coach learning the Griddy dance from the creator. It is definitely a site to see, as Kelly does his best to perform the dance that has been seen everywhere including the Fortnite video game.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

[listicle id=36270]

Cooper Kupp is so good even Justin Jefferson is confused

Justin Jefferson couldn’t believe his eyes.

How is Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp always so wide open? Add Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson as one of the countless individuals asking that question.

First, it was the 70-yard touchdown reception on a completely blown coverage in Sunday’s Divisional Playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And then it was the two clutch receptions that put the Rams in field goal position for the game-winning kick.

It doesn’t matter what happens on the field or how many players are defending him. Kupp always finds a way to fight through the crowd into open grass.

“I really don’t get it… how is Cooper Kupp always WIDE open,” Jefferson posted on Twitter.

Kupp, a worthy MVP candidate, came up 17 yards shy of breaking Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record (1,964) in 2021. Ironically enough, Jefferson came within 17 yards of breaking Hall of Famer Randy Moss’ franchise single-season receiving yards record (1,632) this season as well.

Kupp is the only other player in the league that had him beat in receiving yards.

However, after breaking Odell Beckham Jr.’s record for most receiving yards by a player in his first two seasons, it’s already clear that Jefferson will be coming for the throne in 2022.

[listicle id=59366]

Danger in trading star players

The Vikings should tread lightly if they’re eyeing a big trade.

As the Vikings look to move forward, there will be numerous questions about the roster. There are multiple stars on both sides of the ball that are creeping up in age and are paid large percentages of the cap. With a team like the Vikings that is in flux, you can go in a myriad of directions.

When you start to consider trading star players, a lot of things need to be considered, mainly what the return is for those players. If they are older, it is much easier to justify moving on without worrying about whether the capital you receive will be worth the star you are giving up. In this piece, I will be taking a look at trading star players and the danger in doing so.

[listicle id=59162]

Let’s be honest, Mike Zimmer should have let Justin Jefferson break Randy Moss’ record

So close and yet so far…

Now that the dust has finally settled from Mike Zimmer being fired as head coach for the Minnesota Vikings, it’s time to address the elephant in the room: Justin Jefferson’s chase for the single-season franchise receiving yards record.

Enough time has passed where it shouldn’t sting quite as badly when ripping the bandage off the fresh wound from Zimmer being shown the door in Minnesota.

There are legions of diehard Zimmer supporters that still don’t believe the coach should have lost his job. It really doesn’t matter what side of the fence you end up on in terms of whether he deserved to stay or go, but it’s clear he made the wrong choice in regards to Jefferson in the Week 18 season finale against the Chicago Bears.

The All-Pro receiver was only 17 yards away from breaking legendary Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss’ franchise record (1,632) for most receiving yards in a single season. But with a little over a minute left in the fourth quarter, Zimmer decided to down the ball and put the final nail in the coffin of Jefferson’s bid to surpass a record held by arguably the greatest receiver that ever lived.

“Yes, I was,” Zimmer said at the postgame press conference, when asked if he was aware of how close Jefferson was to breaking Moss’ record. “I don’t care about records. I only care about wins.”

Zimmer isn’t wrong for having that sort of mentality. Individual records shouldn’t be a concern in the grand scheme of things. Football is about winning, and you do that together as a team—not as individuals.

But timing is where the former Vikings head coach missed the mark on this one.

The Vikings were already eliminated from postseason contention and playing in a regular season game their starters had no business competing in.

In hopes of ending another disappointing season with a win, Zimmer was willing to roll the dice on a starter potentially getting hurt in a game with no relevance as far as the big picture was concerned. But he still wasn’t willing to call a few plays at the end of the game to reward Jefferson’s historic year.

It doesn’t make sense.

This wasn’t the middle of the season with the Vikings still looking to improve their standing in the league or anything like that. It was their final game, and they were facing a Bears defense that was allowing the floodgates to open on them through the air.

And Zimmer didn’t even try to have a play called. The Vikings ran the ball on first down, and quarterback Kirk Cousins ate the rest of the time off the clock with a kneel-down.

It’s even more confusing considering the team was ahead by two touchdowns. This wasn’t a situation where a miracle pick-six would have somehow given the Bears the lead. Minnesota had things in cruise control down the stretch.

Look at the last remaining teams in the playoffs right now and ask yourself: If put in a similar situation, would any of those coaches make the same decision as Zimmer?

There’s a time and a place for being that hard-nosed coach with a one-track mind. With the writing already on the wall regarding his job status, Zimmer missed the chance to be something different.

[listicle id=59270]

Justin Jefferson on the success Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are having: ‘I love it and I hate it’

Justin Jefferson is very happy for his former college teammates.

Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who came so close to breaking Randy Moss’ receiving yards record this past season, has had a lot of fun watching two of his former college teammates tearing it up in the NFL this year.

But he also admitted he’s a little jealous of them, too. Talk about some serious FOMO.

Jefferson won a national title at LSU with Joe Burrow as his quarterback and Ja’Marr Chase alongside him in a group of receivers that had a ridiculous amount of success.

Burrow and Chase have had a monster first year together this season in Cincinnati, with Chase setting a rookie record with 266 yards receiving in a win over the Chiefs late in the season and finishing the year with a 1,455 yards. The two also led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1991 and face the Titans in the Divisional Round on Saturday night.

Jefferson is very happy for his teammates but he also joked about how it has hurt to watch them play because he loves those guys.

“I hate it but I love it at the same time,” he told us with a laugh. “Seeing them together and seeing them finishing off what they started at LSU is great to see. Them trusting each other, them putting so much confidence in one another – it’s amazing how much trust Joe really put into Ja’Marr and how good Ja’Marr is to make the play and win those one-on-one battles. I’ve definitely been keeping tabs on them.”

Jefferson joined us this week on USA Today Sports’ show “Sports Seriously” where he talked about his former teammates, how he thinks the 2019 LSU Tigers were the best team in college football history, his relationship with Kirk Cousins, and much more.

Here’s what Jefferson said when asked if that LSU team is the greatest ever:

“Without a doubt,” he said. “If you think about it, we had Joe, we had two guys that just broke the rookie receiving records – you can just end right off that. We had one of the best offenses ever in college football so I believe that statement is correct.”

He also made a special announcement about the work he’s doing with Optimum Nutrition’s Building Better Lives program that has seen he and Davante Adams doing some incredible things for the communities in which they grew up.

You can watch his full interview right here:

[vertical-gallery id=1388324]

Justin Jefferson tops list of four Vikings players selected to the AP NFL All-Pro Team

Relax, SKOL nation, Justin Jefferson made the list that matters.

Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson made the All-Pro list that really matters.

The official AP NFL All-Pro selections were released on Friday, and the Vikings had a total of four players on the list, including Jefferson.

Not bad for a team that finished the season with an 8-9 record.

The other names on the list were right tackle Brian O’Neill, safety Harrison Smith and kick returner Kene Nwangwu.

Jefferson broke Odell Beckham Jr.’s record for most receiving yards in the first two years of his career (3,016) this season. He was on pace to break Randy Moss’ franchise record for the most single-season receiving yards (1,632), but he ultimately came up short by 17 yards in a year where he’s hauled in 108 receptions for 1,616 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

O’Neill earned a 73.7 PFF Grade in a year where the tackle positions were the obvious strength of the offensive line. Smith was the typical wrecking ball in the defensive secondary—114 tackles, three sacks, seven pass deflections, one interception and one forced fumble.

And Nwangwu returned two touchdowns on kick-offs with 579 yards and a 32.2-yard return average.

Don’t let the record fool you. While four players made the All-Pro list, there could have been more from a Vikings team that was clearly more talented than they showed.

Justin Jefferson laughs at absolutely ridiculous All-Pro snub

No. 18 should be on this list!

Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson couldn’t believe his eyes when looking at the recently released All-Pro Team for the 2021 season. His name was nowhere to be found in any of the three receiver spots.

The list includes the likes of Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams and Ja’Marr Chase.

Kupp’s spot is obviously locked in since he was a legitimate MVP candidate after earning the receiving triple crown by leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16).

But things start to get a bit interesting when looking at Adams and Chase.

Jefferson is right there in the thick of things with both receivers, and he even finished with more receptions and yards than Chase—108 receptions for 1,616 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. After seeing the snub, he dropped in a few laughing emojis on social media.

“Help me understand,” Jefferson posted.

Adams is obviously going to get a spot with the Green Bay Packers securing the No. 1 seed in an MVP-caliber year from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. There’s also the fact that he just flat-out balled this season.

But so did Jefferson.

The second-year wideout broke Odell Beckham Jr.’s record for most receiving yards for a receiver in the first two years of his career. He also came within 17 yards of surpassing Randy Moss, one of the greatest receivers that ever lived, for most receiving yards for a single season in a Vikings uniform.

History has to count for something, right?

[listicle id=58976]

Justin Jefferson feels like Vikings owe the ‘trash-talking’ Bears a ‘butt-whooping’

A grudge match? Sign me up!

Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is the real MVP for giving fans a reason to be excited for Sunday’s finale against the Chicago Bears.

In the fight business, they call it showmanship. And Jefferson just served up a heaping helping of it in a week where people are still looking for reasons to be excited about the game. Both teams have already been eliminated from postseason contention, and there’s nothing truly to gain from winning or losing.

But apparently Jefferson doesn’t see it that way.

“We feel like we owe them one just from them talking so much trash last time and doing the little late-hitting. We feel like we owe them a butt-whooping,” said Jefferson, when speaking on The Audible with Gabe Henderson and Ron Johnson. “…We told them we were going to see them again. It ain’t going to be cold. We ain’t going to be outside. We’re going to be indoors and ya’ll are going to be at our stadium. So it’s definitely up, and we’re definitely going to go ham for the last game.”

Jefferson has a shot at history against the Bears, along with trying to lay the smack-down on opposing defensive backs. He is 124 receiving yards away from breaking legendary wideout Randy Moss’ single-season franchise receiving yards record (1,632).

Sunday’s game just got way more exciting.