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Justin Jefferson Wildly Ties NFL History With 500th Career Catch

The Vikings star's young career is off to an incredible start.
Michael Kadlick|
Justin Jefferson hauled in his 500th career catch on Sunday night.
Justin Jefferson hauled in his 500th career catch on Sunday night. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson wildly tied some NFL history during his team's contest against the Falcons on Sunday night.

On the final play of the first quarter, quarterback J.J. McCarthy hit Jefferson along the sideline for what turned out to be his 500th career catch. At 26 years and 90 days old, Jefferson tied Larry Fitzgerald as the youngest player in NFL history to reach the milestone.

Pretty odd that they were the exact same age.

Heading into Sunday, Jefferson had notched 499 receptions for 7,476 yards and 41 touchdowns through his first five-plus seasons with Minnesota. He's a two-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-team All-Pro, and was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2022.

Jefferson told Sports Illustrated this summer that his career goals include putting together "too long of a list [of accomplishments] to read," and "to go up on that stage and to receive a Hall of Fame jacket and to see that statue of my face."

He's well on his way there.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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