Justin Jefferson vows ‘more to come’ after winning Offensive Player of the Year

Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

PHOENIX — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson won Offensive Player of the Year at NFL Honors on Thursday evening.

As if there was any doubt.

Jefferson led the league in receiving yards during the 2022 NFL season, amassing 1,809 from his quarterback Kirk Cousins. He led the league in receptions, too, with 128. Oh, and he did it at age 23, becoming the youngest player to lead the league in receiving yards in league history.

“It’s an honor just to be around these people and being nominated for an award,” Jefferson said on the red carpet before the show. “It just goes to show you all the hard work that I’ve been doing.”

The fruits of his labor have been plentiful. Jefferson registered 100 or more receiving yards in 10 games this past season, helping propel Minnesota to a 13-4 record and the NFC North title. Perhaps more impressive than his stats, though, were his intangibles. Not only was Jefferson Minnesota’s most productive player this season, he was their most clutch.

Look no further than Week 10 against the Bills. If you thought Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic one-handed grab was impressive, Jefferson said “hold my beer” in Buffalo.

Laid out as if he were doing the backstroke in mid-air, Jefferson nabbed the ball with three fingers in between a defender’s hands to snatch it away. Not only were the acrobatics jaw-dropping, the catch itself was contested, unlike Beckham’s free-fall into the end zone. JJ’s play also came on fourth-and-18 with Minnesota trailing in the closing minutes of regulation.

The sequence was aptly selected “Best Moment of the Year” and is one of numerous examples from this season in which Jefferson came through for a Minnesota team that finished an incredible 11-0 in one-score games.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was on hand to see Jefferson win the OPOY award, sitting behind him at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. After he hugged his parents, Jefferson immediately turned around and hugged O’Connell, too. The superstar wideout then got up in front of an auditorium filled with his peers and got choked up while thanking his family

“My parents, John and Elaine Jefferson, y’all made me who I am today,” he said, fighting back tears. “More to come.”

No kidding. Jefferson, after all, has the most catches (324) and receiving yards (4,825) in NFL history after three seasons.

“I’m going to celebrate with my friends and family, of course,” Jefferson said unassumingly before the show. “It’s just an honor to even be recognized for the amount of stuff I did this season, so I’m going to celebrate either way, but I guess we’ll see.”

There’s no “we’ll see” about it. Jefferson and his family have plenty to celebrate these days.

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