Vikings' Justin Jefferson Finishes Third NFL Season With 1,809 Receiving Yards
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1,400 yards as a rookie. 1,616 yards in his second season. 1,809 yards in year three.
If the pattern holds, Justin Jefferson will become the first player in NFL history with 2,000 receiving yards next season. It's simple math.
Jefferson caught four passes for 38 yards in the first half against the Bears on Sunday. With the Vikings up big and the game having little meaning, most of their offensive starters were pulled to start the second half. That means Jefferson's incredible third season ends with 128 catches, 1,809 yards, and eight touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown and two completed passes.
His catches and yards this year smashed franchise single-season records held by Cris Carter and Randy Moss, respectively.
Jefferson had 1,756 yards through 15 games, giving him a chance to break Calvin Johnson's all-time record of 1,964 yards. However, a one-catch outing against the Packers ended that possibility, especially because Jefferson was never going to play the full game in Chicago.
Still, this was one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history. Take a look at the all-time leaderboard for yards in a season:
- Calvin Johnson (2012): 1,964
- Cooper Kupp (2021): 1,947
- Julio Jones (2015): 1,871
- Jerry Rice (1995): 1,848
- Antonio Brown (2015): 1,834
- Justin Jefferson (2022): 1,809
- Isaac Bruce (1995): 1,781
Jefferson is one of just six players in league history to have 1,800 yards in a season. Yes, he had a 17th game to do it, but remember that he had 1,756 through 15 games.
The remarkable thing about Jefferson's season is that he had games with 14, 15, 33, 38, 45, and 48 yards. That's 193 yards over six games. It's just that he had at least 98 yards in each of the other 11, including games with 223, 193, 184, 154, and 147 yards. Jefferson's ten 100-yard games are one shy of tying the all-time record, and he had 98 yards in another.
Jefferson set a ton of records this season, and he added another one on Sunday against the Bears. With 324 career catches, he broke Michael Thomas' record for the most receptions in a player's first three seasons.
It's safe to say Jefferson, who is still 23 years old, is an elite player who continues to get better and better. It's going to be fun to see what he has in store for the playoffs and the 2023 season. It'll also be fun to see what kind of extension he ends up getting from the Vikings, who are going to have to open up the checkbook to keep one of faces of the NFL in Minnesota long-term.
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