Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson is kicking off another NFL season and helping Pepsi do the same. Jefferson spoke with Heavy Sports as part of the “Make Your Game Day Epic” campaign in 2024.
Jefferson is back amid his latest joint project with the beverage giant. This year’s message: “Tailgating Deserves Pepsi.”
(Note: questions edited for clarity.)
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Teams Up With Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis for Pepsi Ad Campaign
Heavy Sports: How has this year’s campaign with Pepsi going?
Justin Jefferson: The campaign has been amazing. Just like … with the kickoff campaign [in 2024], and now with a new campaign. It’s just always great working with these people, and building that relationship and building that connection is always important for me. So, it’s been a great partnership along the way.
It’s just continuing to build and continue to implement me here and there, whenever they need me. So, it’s been great all along, but just happy to be with them. Happy to start this whole new season with a new campaign. But it’s exciting.
HS: What makes your partnership with Pepsi so strong?
JJ: “One, it’s always on the relationship. We have a great relationship. I feel like we just love just having fun with each other, just talking with each other, and just having that moment. Obviously, being on set and shooting for a couple hours, you’re with those people for the majority of the day. So, just bonding with them, talking with them, they’re always asking if I need anything, and just, it’s there for me throughout the whole entire day.
That alone has always been great and been growing.
You always need Pepsi. Just having the early kid memories of my dad and just drinking the Pepsis. And always having Pepsi around, especially during the game days and whenever we used to go to LSU on the tailgate. Pepsi is always around. So, now just promoting it, and being on TV, and showing my love for it on the national stage is even better.
HS: What was it like to work with Jerome Bettis for this ad?
JJ: It was really, really cool, honestly, being a fan of football, and being a fan of his work and what he has done in this league. He’s a Hall of Famer. He’s a legend. So, being able to be up close with him–that was the first time I’ve ever met him in person.
Being able to talk to him and chop it up, we talked more about Pepsi than anything, and just being a fan of the product and being fans of each other. It was a really cool experience, just shooting with him and just chopping it up about his family and the things that he has going on. So, it was really a cool experience.
I know a great gameday setup when I see one.
Great food, great football and Pepsi belong together. This season, I’m calling it like I see it. Tailgating Deserves Pepsi, and I’m here to make sure fans are ready for kickoff. – Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis
HS: Pepsi is giving away a free 12-pack of Pepsi Zero Sugar as part of the campaign. Tell me a little more about that. (official rules available here)
JJ: The giveaway alone is something that fans should be excited about. I’m always excited about something that people are giving away for free and being able to have fun with that. So, it’s really a cool giveaway that fans are really going to be excited about. And being able to have more Pepsi on the tailgate is something that you should be even more excited about as well.
“Starting it off right, with a Pepsi–with a extra 12-pack–can’t go wrong with it.”
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Gets Honest About J.J. McCarthy, 2025 Season
HS: 1,048 yards is a career year for some guys, but was a “down year” for you. How do you balance that, knowing the standard you have set?
JJ: “It was definitely a tough year last year. Just battling with a new quarterback, battling with just new positions on the team, and just a new season in general is always tough. Just playing in this league and every single year is going to be tough. So, just really dealing with the distractions and the different things that we had to deal with during the season last year, and just being within the team.
The ‘C’ is on my chest, and people look at me as a leader. So, always, just in the media, just being positive, pumping the guys up, and making sure that no one knows, even though it might–people expect me to be mad or frustrated about the gameplay and how we’re playing at the moment. But never will you see me voice my frustrations or negative comments out there in the media to downplay my teammates.
It’s just all about being positive, all about thinking forward, and thinking about the future. And it’s really about connecting with my quarterback, and with J.J. [McCarthy], and making sure that his mind and his mental is good to continue the season, and just making the most of my opportunities. That’s what it really came down to. I didn’t really get as many opportunities as I wanted to. But with the opportunities that I did get, just making the most of those opportunities. And getting over that thousand yards was definitely the goal. So, was definitely happy about getting that.”
Justin Jefferson Excited About 2026 Additions Kyler Murray & Rivalry Uniforms
HS: How have you seen Kyler Murray build team chemistry since arriving, and how has he impressed you so far?
JJ: He’s been great. Coming in and, really, just doing what he has been doing for the past years with Arizona. But seeing him up close, and seeing how good of a arm talent he has and his ability to really throw it into different spots, and really lead receivers.
That was something that I really was surprised about and didn’t really know: how good his arm talent really was. Everybody knows of his speed and being able to scramble and extend the play. But his arm talent and being able to sit in the pocket was something that I didn’t really see too much often. So, being able to see it now, and seeing him really bloom in this offense, it’s really going to be exciting to see. So, hopefully, we put it all out there on Sunday for the whole world to see and for us to start the season up right.
HS: What do you think about the new Rivalry uniforms?
JJ: They’re really cool. I love the darker purple. I love the gold trim on it. It’s really a great uniform, and I think it’s going to be really cool to see at the night game in Minnesota. The fans are going to be stoked to see it out there in person in those lights. So, hopefully we get a big W in them to continue that series and continue wearing these type of jerseys.
Justin Jefferson Talks Vikings QBs, Rivalry Unis & More in New Pepsi Campaign