Justin Jamal Jefferson, a wide receiver with the National Football League's (NFL) Minnesota Vikings, was born on June 16, 1999. In the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Vikings selected him from Louisiana State University's football programme. He was then selected to the Pro Bowl after setting a rookie record for receiving yards in the NFL with 1,400 (his former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase later shattered the record). In each of his first two seasons, Jefferson made the Pro Bowl and was named to the second team of All-Pros.
Born into a family of sportsmen in St. Rose, Louisiana, Justin Jefferson was enrolled at the Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana. He was not one of the best wide receivers during school but his career really took off in his second year in college. He went to the Louisiana State University and committed to the college football team of the institution. He was coached by Ed Orgeron during his three years playing for LSU.
Jefferson became LSU's top receiver in 2018 with 54 catches for 875 yards and six touchdowns, after making two appearances without recording a catch during his debut season there in 2017. On September 29, 2018, he defeated Ole Miss and caught a 65-yard pass from Joe Burrow for his first collegiate touchdown. He had two games with more than 100 yards, including 108 against Georgia and 117 against Arkansas. In the third year of his college football career, he outdid himself in a game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Peach Bowl, catching 14 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns. The first half saw all four touchdowns, which tied the record for any bowl game and set a new one for a College Football Playoff game. He recorded nine receptions for 106 yards in the 42-25 win over Clemson in the National Championship. With 111 receptions during his junior year, Jefferson set a national record. His 1,540 receiving yards were third-most in the nation, and his 18 receiving touchdowns were second only to teammate Ja'Marr Chase. He exceeded 100 yards in eight of his games. Jefferson declared on January 15, 2020, that he would forego his senior year and join the NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings drafted Jefferson out of his third year in college as the 22nd overall choice in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Jefferson’s NFL draft was part of a historic transaction that sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills. Jefferson committed to the team in a four-year, $13.12 million deal that included a $7.1 million signing bonus. On July 27, 2020, the team placed Jefferson on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He started playing actively as a Viking in the first week of August.
Jefferson’s season with the Minnesota Vikings really began when he started in a game against the New Orleans Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Playing in the 4th week of the season, Jefferson finished with 147 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown as the Vikings won 28–25. The subsequent week, in a 29-22 victory over the Chicago Bears, Jefferson had a career-high 12 receptions for 154 receiving yards. With his third catch of the game, Jefferson broke Randy Moss's franchise record for the most catches in a career's first three years with 227 catches in all. By the end of the first season, Jefferson had surpassed Anquan Boldin's 1,377 yards from 2003 to set the NFL record for the most receiving yards by a rookie (1,400 yards), though his former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase would overtake him the following year. Along with defensive end Chase Young of the Washington Football Team, he was one of just two rookies selected for the 2021 Pro Bowl. The Sporting News named him Rookie of the Year. He was selected for the NFL All-Rookie Team. His peers voted him 53rd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021. His 2021 season was an overall upward climb in his career as he not only won the honor of being the NFC Offensive Player of the Week but also the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for the first time towards the end of the season. By the 15th week of the 2022 season, in a match against the Indianapolis Colts, Jefferson recorded 12 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown, setting his season total to 1,623 yards, which was a new career high.
Jefferson’s first season with the Vikings was replete with NFL records set by the player. After breaking Anquan Boldin's 1,377 yards in 2003, Jefferson set the NFL record for the most receiving yards (1,400) by a rookie in NFL history (although his record would be surpassed by his former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase the following season in 2021). Along with Chase Young of the Washington Football Team, he was one of just two rookies selected for the 2021 Pro Bowl. The Sporting News named him Rookie of the Year. He was selected for the NFL All-Rookie Team. He was ranked 53rd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 list by his fellow players.
With 1,616 receiving yards at the end of his second season with the Vikings, Jefferson finished second in the NFL in 2021 and just 16 yards shy of Randy Moss's single-season franchise record. Jefferson joined Randy Moss and Sammy White as the only three Vikings wide receivers to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of their first two seasons of playing professionally when he was named to the 2022 edition. Jefferson was selected to the AP All-Pro second team for the second year in a row, losing out on a berth on the first team by one vote. On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022, his fellow players placed him 17th. In the 10th Week of his 2022 season, Jefferson caught 10 catches for a career-high 193 yards and a touchdown while playing against the Buffalo Bills. With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Jefferson made one of these catches, on 4th down and 18, hauling in the pass for 32 yards while fending off Bills’ CB Cam Lewis as he fell to the ground. His arm sleeves and gloves from the game were displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame subsequent to the catch being universally hailed as one of the best of all time. The Vikings won the match 33-30 after overtime.
The youngster is already on his way to creating and breaking records. With 3 Pro Bowl honors already, Justin Jefferson also set the record for - Most receiving yards per game (career): 99.4.
Justin Jefferson’s net worth in 2022 is estimated to be $7 million. Justin Jefferson has received many brand endorsements as a result of his outstanding accomplishments over the years. He and his dance "Get Griddy" were included in the battle royale video game Fortnite on April 7, 2021, making him the first NFL player to do so. In addition, he has various endorsement contracts with well-known companies, including Optimum Nutrition, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Old Spice, and Madden 23 from EA Sports.
With a $7.1 million signing bonus, Jefferson agreed to a four-year, $13.12 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 after being drafted by the franchise.
John Earl Jefferson, Justin's father, serves as an inspiration to the wide receiver’s life and career. In the past, John played Division II college basketball. Although he has never played in the NBA, he is proud of his children who have competed in numerous major league sports. He attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe after graduating from Slidell High School. John gave up his dream of becoming a professional basketball player to work for commercial and industrial equipment supplier Grainger in order to support his family. His mother, Eileen Jefferson has been lauded by her son for standing by him through thick and thin and demonstrating exemplary standards and values. He had bought her a new car after signing his first contract in the NFL with the Vikings.
Justin has two brothers Jordan and Rickey Jefferson. Jordan was a quarterback in the NFL who was not drafted in 2012. Between 2012 and 2014, his only three years of activity were. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 NFL Draft, however, he was only on the squad for four days. Prior to his retirement in 2014 he moved across the leagues and tried out stints in the CFL, AFL, and FXFL. In high school, Rickey Jefferson played the same position as Justin, wide receiver, before switching to a defensive position on safety subsequently. He participated in several games for LSU in that position. Despite having excellent physical characteristics, he was not drafted by any club in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Justin is in a relationship with the 22-year-old Tianna Harris. She is an Instagram model and soccer player. She played at the collegiate level for Kent State University. She has a net worth of over $100K and the couple have been dating since 2020.
In his third season in the NFL, Jefferson broke the Vikings’ record for most single-season receiving yards. Jefferson broke the record set by Hall of Famer Randy Moss, setting it at 1632 receiving yards. He broke the record at the Vikings’ U.S. Bank stadium in a match against the New York Giants.
Justin Jefferson has the nickname ‘J Jettas’ which is given by his parents. He uses the nickname for his social media too.
The Vikings' wide receiver is only earning $3.3 million per year as per his rookie contract with the Vikings. He is expected to sign a contract extension with a much higher salary in the foreseeable future.
Yes, he does wear grills on his teeth. The Vikings' wide receiver has custom-implanted grills and he is the only NFL player with that accessory. The grills are fitted delicately to look like braces rather than a fashion statement
In the NFL Combine, Justin Jefferson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds.
