Getty Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins
Upon signing his record-breaking four-year contract extension, Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson embraced a new responsibility of stepping up in Kirk Cousins‘ absence.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old phenom paced the league with 5,899 yards receiving in his first four seasons largely Cousins as his quarterback and the leader of the offense.
This year will mark the first time Jefferson will have a different starting quarterback to open a season other than Cousins — and Jefferson’s taking full responsibility for the offense’s success.
“Having Kirk was a little bit easier with him being a veteran and me pretty much coming into the league with him as my quarterback, things were a lot easier,” Jefferson said during a June 4 news conference following the announcement of his four-year, $140 million extension. “But of course, things are not always going to be that type of way. There are things that are going to change.”
Just as head coach Kevin O’Connell encouraged Cousins to step into more of a leadership role the past two seasons in Minnesota, it’s now Jefferson’s turn to do the same as the team’s new mega-contract star.
“This is something that I’ve been waiting for and now being the leader of this team and carrying myself a different way,” Jefferson added. “I’m gonna be on everyone, but I’m gonna be on everyone hard and I’m gonna make sure that I’m the leader of this team, and we’re working to where we want to go, which is a world championship.”
Justin Jefferson Takes Vikings Rookie J.J. McCarthy Under His Wing
Image courtesy of the Minnesota VikingsJ.J. McCarthy at Vikings rookie minicamps at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota.
Last season, the Vikings got a taste of what life would be like without Cousins.
Playing some of the best football of his career, Cousins’ season came to an abrupt end when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in a Week 8 road game at Lambeau Field.
The Vikings mustered only three more wins the rest of the season, however, the writing was also on the wall that they would look to find their successor, who proved to be J.J. McCarthy.
Jefferson, who voiced his goal to still surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the 2024 season despite missing eight games with a hamstring injury, averaged 100.6 receiving yards per game without Cousins in the final five games of the season.
“Last year, with all the quarterback changes that happened… it really didn’t matter who’s throwing me the ball,” Jefferson said, referring to his return from injury to close the 2023 season. “I’m always confident in myself and confident who’s throwing the ball to give me those opportunities to let me make a play for the team.”
Jefferson plans to instill confidence in McCarthy as their fates are tied for the next four seasons.
“A new energy. A new soul. I love his confidence. I love his attitude,” Jefferson said of McCarthy. “Of course him coming off a championship, you can’t have any more confidence than that. That confidence is going to continue to be with him, and it’s my job to install that into his brain throughout the whole entire season. And of course giving him that extra confidence by throwing me the ball.
“There’s going to be people to come and help, of course I’m going to be that main person to be in his ear and try to teach him and try to prepare him for what we’re about to go through,” Jefferson said. “I told him this league is tough, it’s not an easy job to come out here and perform at the highest ability, especially as a rookie. I’ll definitely be that main person that he can lean on and help throughout the way.”
Justin Jefferson Partners With Vikings Coach Kevin O’Connell
GettyJustin Jefferson and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell
It’s rare for a non-quarterback to be the franchise’s No. 1 player, but Jefferson’s ascension has made him a priority for the Vikings.
During the pre-draft scouting process, Jefferson was included in conversations surrounding the future at quarterback. O’Connell likened him to a partner as Jefferson’s presence on the field has a much larger impact than just on his matchup.
Defenses compensate for him, double- and triple-teaming him considerably more than any other wide receiver in the league. He’s the reason when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell first met to share their goals for the franchise extending Jefferson was atop their list.
With that box checked, the Vikings can move forward in their pursuit of a championship with a transformational superstar secured through the 2028 season.
“The bond that we have has meant the absolute world to me from day one,” O’Connell said following Jefferson’s first day at Vikings minicamp. “He means the world to that locker room. Even today, seeing him back around his teammates, yesterday, back around his teammates, he’s a people changer, he’s a culture changer, and he’s everything we want this organization to be about.”