NFL analyst rips Justin Jefferson for leaving out Kirk Cousins from top 5 QBs list - "Contractually obligated"

In his three years with the Minnesota Vikings so far, Justin Jefferson has forged a potent combination with Kirk Cousins, breaking multiple records and reaching multiple Pro Bowls. But his latest comments may have caused outrage.

Recently, the wide receiver was in Brazil as a flag football ambassador, and local reporter Danilo Lacalle asked him who his top five quarterbacks were.

He responded with this list:

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Joe Burrow
4. Jalen Hurts
5. Josh Allen

However, one of the people not impressed by the list was sportscaster Jason McIntyre. On his podcast 'Straight Fire', he said:

"13-4 Kirk Cousins - statistically, by any metric you want, he was a top 10 quarterback in the league. Justin Jefferson went out and gave an interview where he was asked his top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL...

"And during the interview, Justin Jefferson says this matter-of-factly, like he's not in the room with Kirk Cousins. And of course, this sparked a debate.

"Bad job by Justin Jefferson. You gotta name your guy Kirk Cousins one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league. And everybody said, 'Well, why? He's not.' By any measure, last year Kirk Cousins was a better quarterback than Aaron Rodgers...

"My issue with this is if somebody asks you about the best in the league, you are almost contractually obligated as a teammate, as a good soldier, to pump up your guys, even if it ain't true."

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Can Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings repeat as NFC North champions in 2023?

When the NFL resumes play in September, Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings will be missing a few important Pro Bowl teammates. Running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Adam Thielen were released, with the latter joining the Carolina Panthers.

Linebacker Za'Darius Smith and cornerback Patrick Peterson have joined AFC North teams, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.

While the Vikings' main rivals in Green Bay are set to enter a rebuilding phase under Jordan Love, the rest of the division is not resting on their laurels.

The Chicago Bears, for instance, have made major moves like trading away the first overall pick in a show of confidence in Justin Fields, then adding pieces around him.

But the biggest threat to the team may be the Detroit Lions. Even though they made minimal noise in the player market, Jared Goff and company carry much momentum from their 9-8 turnaround in 2022 and will look to parlay that into their first divisional title since the days of Barry Sanders.