Tag: Justin Jefferson

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson named second-team All-Pro

Congratulations to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. He was named a second-team All-Pro in his first NFL season.

The Vikings traded away wide receiver Stefon Diggs in the offseason, so it seemed that position group was in for some regression.

Sure, Adam Thielen could remain healthy, but what were the odds that a wide receiver of Diggs’ caliber could be the wide receiver two?

Minnesota took a chance when it got rid of Diggs and drafted a wide receiver with one of the picks it received from Buffalo in the trade. Miraculously, it paid off.

Jefferson tallied 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions as a rookie. He broke a several rookie records along the way.

Now, Jefferson can add another accomplishment to his rookie resume: the wide receiver has been named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

The AP came out with the 2020 selections on Friday. Jefferson was the only Vikings player on the All-Pro first team or second team.

In what’s been  disappointing year for Minnesota, the team can take solace in the fact that Jefferson has emerged as a star-caliber wide receiver — in just his first NFL season.

Justin Jefferson ranks 2nd in Daniel Jeremiah’s rookie rankings

Will Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson be able to win the Rookie of the Year over Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert?

Will Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson be able to win the Rookie of the Year over Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert?

Not if you ask NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.

Jeremiah has Jefferson as his second-ranked rookie in his end-of-the-season rankings behind Herbert.

Here’s what Jeremiah wrote about Jefferson:

Jefferson deserves consideration for the No. 1 spot on this list after breaking Anquan Boldin’s rookie record with 1,400 receiving yards. Not to mention, he’s the lone first-year Pro Bowler on the offensive side of the ball.

In any other year, Jefferson is probably the run-away winner for the top rookie, but Herbert was absolutely phenomenal in Los Angeles.

No other Viking rookies made the list.

You can check out the full rankings here.

Who are the Vikings “Top Stars” of the season?

See the top star earners for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2020 season this year!

Throughout the NFL season, Vikings Wire has been compiling the top performers from each Minnesota game and putting them in the game recap.

Looking at who earned the most “Stars of the Week” awards is a decent indication of who stood out on the Vikings this year.

That said, there are some players who earned the award and might not exactly want to remember this season. Even those players had stellar performances in certain games, though.

So it’s not a perfect science by any means, but it is interesting to look at. Here are the top awardees for the Stars of the Week honor this season:

The good, the bad and the ugly from the Vikings’ 2020 NFL season

See the good the bad and the ugly from the Minnesota Vikings’ 2020 NFL season.

Minnesota underwent a roster revamping before the 2020 season. It’s safe to say that, in the short term, the move didn’t work out.

The Vikings missed out on the playoffs and finished the year 7-9. Though the team disappointed, there were some silver linings. The Vikings started 1-5 and re-entered the postseason conversation with three consecutive wins.

Minnesota fought its way to .500, but losing to the Buccaneers, Bears and the Saints ended all hopes of this season amounting to a deep playoff run.

Vikings fans might be frustrated with how the year went, but there are some things the team can build off of. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from a season that had plenty of storylines.

Final NFC North standings following 2020 regular season

For the final time, here is how the NFC North looks at the conclusion of the 2020 regular season.

After thrilling wins and painful losses, the 2020 NFL regular season has come to a close, which means the NFC North standings are now final as we head into the postseason for some teams and the offseason for others.

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are preparing for playoff football beginning this weekend, while the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions have a jump start on their offseason plans.

For the final time, here is how the NFC North looks at the conclusion of the 2020 regular season.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman speaks on drafting Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson

Howie Roseman explains the decision to pass on DK Metcalf, Justin Jefferson in NFL Draft

Howie Roseman is a master at pulling off a big free-agent acquisition or maneuvering the salary cap to benefit the Eagles needs.

His ability to evaluate talent has been called into question and on Monday, the Eagles GM addressed that perceived shortcoming.

During his 2020 exit interview with the media, Roseman addressed the elephant in the room and spoke vaguely on what went into selecting Arcega-Whiteside and Reagor over more acclaimed options.

“We went into the draft trying to find the right guys for our team and in terms of what we thought we needed to have a better offense.”

Roseman provided more insight into Vikings star rookie, Justin Jefferson, without naming names.

“I’d say, one, obviously the guy you are talking (Note: Roseman seemed to mean Jefferson) about had a phenomenal year. It is not like our heads are in the sand and we don’t see that and we didn’t spend a lot of time on that guy. Obviously, I think when you talk to other general managers in this league, if everyone knew what those guys were going to do, they wouldn’t even have been close to the pick we were at, and there were other receivers taken.”

“We went into the draft trying to find the right guys for our team in terms of what we thought we needed to have a better offense. That is with a lot of discussion with our scouts, with our coaches. There was definitely a lot of opinions on this draft class and this receiver class for sure. I would also say Jalen is a very young player. He just turned 22. He missed a bunch of games with injuries. He didn’t really have durability issues in college. And sometimes those things over a period of time, they play out. I think about it this morning, I was thinking about the 2010 draft, and how it went with Brandon Graham and the guys that maybe started their careers fresh.”

Reagor ended his rookie season with 31-catches for 396 yards receiving and just one touchdown while missing five games with a thumb injury.

Jefferson set the NFL record for receiving yards by a rookie after logging 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns.

Roseman admitted that medical grades and other scenarios played a role in passing on Metcalf, but it can’t explain passing on Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin as well.

Roseman finished by talking about the Eagles continuing to have big expectations for both Reagor and Arcega-Whiteside.

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Odds don’t look good for Justin Jefferson’s ROY chances

Vegas says that Justin Herbert is the clear favorite.

The silver lining for the Vikings in 2020 was the play of rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson broke the league’s rookie record for most receiving yards in a season.

With that, it seems everyone in Minnesota has convinced themselves that the Rookie of the Year race is between Jefferson and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

Vegas, however, tell us that it’s really not that close.

Per OddsShark, Herbert is the favorite at -2000, while Jefferson and Jonathan Taylor both have odds of +900.

In any other year, Jefferson’s 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdowns would likely win the award. But Herbert was absolutely on fire with the Chargers, throwing for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns while running for another five touchdowns.

It seems odd that Taylor is in the same conversation as Jefferson, although his 1,468 total yards and 12 touchdowns are impressive.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions: Everything we know

See the game recap from the Minnesota Vikings’ win over the Detroit Lions in the Week 17 finale.

The Vikings and the Lions faced off on Sunday in a relatively meaningless game.

But for a matchup without playoff stakes in Week 17, the teams at least gave fans an entertaining, back-and-forth contest.

The two NFC North foes exchanged touchdowns until the final minutes of the game. Justin Jefferson provided a silver lining by making Vikings and league-wide history on Sunday.

The season has looked disappointing for a couple weeks now. Minnesota’s up-and-down 2020 campaign finally came to an end on Sunday. It would have been nice for the team to lose and get a better draft position, but at least the team ended the year on a high note.

Watch: Justin Jefferson sets mark for most receiving yards by a rookie

Justin Jefferson broke Randy Moss’ receiving mark for a Minnesota rookie

In the rare trade that has worked out splendidly for both teams, the Minnesota Vikings continue to reap rewards for sending Stefon Diggs to Buffalo in exchange for the Bills’ No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

That pick turned into LSU WR Justin Jefferson and on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, he set the Vikings’ mark for receiving yards by a rookie. He later added the receiving mark for a rookie overall.

Jefferson is the NFL record-holder for receiving yards in a rookie season in the Super Bowl era. Anquan Boldin’s record of 1,377 yards stood for 16 seasons, but Jefferson just surpassed it.

Jefferson honored the man whose mark he broke, Randy Moss, via cleats.

Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Week 17 tracker: Jefferson surpasses NFL rookie record for receiving yards

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson just made Vikings history.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson’s historic rookie campaign just got more historical.

Heading into Week 17, the Minnesota wideout already had the franchise’s rookie reception record, which he beat in Week 15 in the defeat to the Bears.

This week, he officially passed the Vikings’ rookie yardage record, previously held by Randy Moss, who did so in 1998. This game, Jefferson wore cleats that gave homage to Moss, so it’s only fitting that he was able to beat the record.

The Vikings rookie had a chance to make even more history on Sunday. He was within reach of the Super Bowl era record for most receiving yards by a rookie. With a gain of 14 in the third quarter, he did just that, surpassing the record.

Minnesota ended up without a playoff berth in 2020, so by some accounts, this season will be deemed a disappointment. But the Vikings’ future is bright, especially with Jefferson thriving in the offense.