Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. The franchise drafted the star WR as the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

The Vikings acquired the pick from the Buffalo Bills through a trade that sent the three-time pro bowler to the Buffalo Bills.

Justin Jefferson attended Louisiana State University from the years 2017 to 2019, where he established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the nation. The Joe Burrow-Justin Jefferson pairing was a nightmare for the opponents.

Justin Jefferson is an elite WR with excellent body control, safe hands and dominant red zone game. He won the National Championship for LSU as a junior in college in 2020. He carried his cominance into the NFL, recording three consecutive 1000-yard seasons since getting drafted. In 2022, Jefferson won the Offensive Player of the Year award.

In this page, let’s take a deeper look into his career and personal life.

Justin Jefferson Early Life

Justin Jefferson was born on 16 June 199 in St. Rose, Louisiana, United States. Growing up in Destrehan, the Vikings WR attended the Destrehan High School.

Justin Jefferson was brought up by his parents. John and Elaine Jefferson. Justin Jefferson comes from a family of athletes. Both his parents were talented basketball players. Justin Jefferson grew up with two brothers, who both played in the NFL. The eldest brother, Jordan played as a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the middle brother, Rickey, played as a wide receiver.

Justin Jefferson is the standout among the three, having the most success as a football player.

According to 247 sports, the Vikings WR was the ranked 308th best WR in the country coming out of highschool, before committing to LSU.

Justin Jefferson College Career

While Justin Jefferson is a phenom on the field for the Minnesota Vikings, it wasn’t the case during the first year in college. He had to wait patiently for his chances on the field. The former LSU WR only suited up once as a freshman. He played against the Arkansas Razorbacks and did not record a single catch.

As a sophomore, things started to fall in place for Justin Jefferson. The arrival of Joe Burrow to LSU changed fortures. The WR scored his first touchdown against Ole Miss in a 45-16 win. He finished the game with two TDs and 99 receiving yards. He finished the season with a superb 875 total receiving yards, 6 TDs and 54 receptions.

Justin Jefferson set the nation on fire in his junior year. The WR had the best season in his college career. In the second game of the 2019 season, Jefferson rattled the Texas Longhorns in a 45-38 win, scoring 3 touchdowns and recording 163 receiving yards.

Justin Jefferson had the game of the season in the Peach Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners. The WR had 227 receiving yards and scored 4 touchdowns in a 53-28 blowout win. Jefferson went on to win the National Championship against the Clemson Tigers. He had a total of 1540 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns, only 2 behind his teammate Ja’Marr Chase, 20.

Justin Jefferson declared for the 2020 NFL draft on the Championship high, announcing he’d forgo his senior year at LSU.

Justin Jefferson NFL Career

The Minnesota Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson as the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. The Vikings landed the WR through the trade that sent Stefon Diggs to Buffalo.

Justin Jefferson made his NFL debut for the Vikings against the Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers. The team lost to the divisional opponent 43-34. Jefferson had only 26 receiving yards. His breakout game, also the first 150-yard game, came against the Tennessee Titans in a Week 3 31-30 loss. Jefferson had 9 catches, 175 receiving yards (season high) and scored his first NFL touchdown.

His superb performances on the field earned him NFL All-Rookie Team honors. He made his first pro bowl appearance, becoming one of the only 2 rookies to be named that season. Jefferson finished the season with 88 catches, 1400 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns

In his second NFL season, he further eclipsed his rookie season number and played a vital role in Minnesota’s playoff qualification. The WR made his second pro bowl and was named to the second-team AP All-Pro team. Justin Jefferson had 108 catches, 1616 receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Jefferson was voted the 17th best player in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022 by his fellow teammates.

2022 was the year of Justin Jefferson. The Vikings WR recorded the third 1000-yard season. The WR had 128 catches (league-high), 1809 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. Jefferson made his third pro bowl selection and earned first-team All-Pro honors. Justin Jefferson’s electrifying performances in 2022 saw him win the Offensive Player of the Year award and be named one of the finalists for the MVP award.

The Vikings picked up the WR’s fifth year option in the 2023 NFL offseason. He will stay with the franchise until 2025.

Justin Jefferson Family Background

Justin Jefferson comes from a family of athletes. Both his parents played basketball in the past and were very good at the sport. Justin’s brother, Rickey, described their father as “ultra competitive.”

Justin’s father, John, suited up for Nebraska Western before transferring to Northeast Louisiana (now known as University of Louisiana Monroe). He played college basketball in both places. Justin’s mother, Elaine, was a high school basketball star. Both their parents attended Slidell High School and Northeast Louisiana.

John worked as an industrial supply salesman and Elaine was an administrator in the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Justin Jefferson has two brothers - Jordan Jefferson and Rickey Jefferson. Jordan is the eldest and Rickey is the middle child. Both his brothers played for LSU and also played in the NFL.

Jordan Jefferson, who is 9 years older to Justin, played as a quarterback. He signed with the Buccaneers in 2012 after going undrafted. He was released after four days. Jordan took his talents to the CFL, AFL, and the FXFL, before calling it quits in 2014.

Rickey played safety and went undrafted as well. He was then with the Saints and the Raiders’ practice squads. But it wasn’t eventful.

Jordan Jefferson is the co-founder of NOLA HOTBOY$. He is also the athletic director. NOLA HOTBOY$ is a 7v7 program that instills the knowledge and exposure to highschool athletes to make them ready for D1 football.

Justin Jefferson Wife/girlfriend

The relationship status of Justin Jefferson is currently unknown. The Vikings WR was reportedly dating Tianna Harris since 2020. While the reports of their breakup surfaced, neither parties have commented on this.

Justin Jefferson Kids

Justin Jefferson does not have any kids. He is currently focused on cementing his legacy in the NFL as one of the best WRs to lace up on the gridiron.

Justin Jefferson Social Media

Justin Jefferson, currently has deactivated all his social media accounts to focus on his mental health and physical recovery, amid fan frenzy and criticism.

He had over 2 million followers on Instagram and Twitter. He was active and vocal on both platforms before shutting it down.

Justin Jefferson Net Worth

Justin Jefferson’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be around $9 million. The Vikings WR signed the $13,122,805 contract in 2020 as a rookie. Justin Jefferson has various brand deals apart from his Vikings paycheck. The franchise picked up his fifth year option recently, which will see him earn $19.7 million in 2024.

Justin Jefferson Brand Deals and Endorsements

Justin Jefferson is a household name in the US and his popularity is growing across the globe with the expansion of the NFL. Justin Jefferson has his own website where he sells his merchandise such as tees, hoodies, stickers, water bottles, beanies, iPhone cases and more.The Vikings WR has been in partnerships with various brands through the course of his career. Here are some of his deals and endorsements according to OSDB, an online sports database:

• Under Armour

• Lids

• Angelus

• Campbell's Soup

• Courtyard Hotels

• Sleep Number

• Optimum Nutrition

• Little Caesars

Apart from these, the Vikings WR also has brand deals with EA Sports’ Madden23, Old Spice, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Justin Jefferson Achievements

Justin Jefferson has been electric on the gridiron and has accumulated various records over the course of his professional football career.

• NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2022)

• First-team All-Pro (2022)

• 2× Second-team All-Pro (2020, 2021)

• 3× Pro Bowl (2020–2022)

• NFL receptions leader (2022)

• NFL receiving yards leader (2022)

• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020)

• CFP national champion (2019)

• Second-team All-SEC (2019)

• Most receiving yards per game (career): 98.1

Justin Jefferson Contract

Justin Jefferson signed a rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings after getting drafted by the franchise in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. The four-year $13,122,805 contract is fully guaranteed and includes a $7,103,856 signing bonus.

The Vikings WR earns an annual salary of $3,280,701 annually. There have been contract extension talks with the WR in the offseason. The franchise will look to extend the star WR by making him the highest paid WR in the league.

Here is a complete breakdown of Justin Jefferson’s rookie contract according to Sportrac:

Justin Jefferson Diet

Being one of the most elite athletes requires immense hard work on and off the field. While the on-field work may include working on drills, running routes, catching the balls, the off-field is extremely critical in the development and the performance of the player. And one such part of it is the diet.

Justin Jefferson knows this. Coming out of college, and heading into the draft, the WRs diet included a lot of carbohydrates. He used to eat pasta and baked meals along with vitamins and protein shakes.

Justin Jefferson’s diet during the offseason includes more proteins. The WR also inculcates bananas, green vegetables and berries in his meals to keep the diet balanced.

Justin Jefferson House

One of Justin Jefferson’s most important purchases after signing the $13,122,805 contract was buying himself a home. The Vikings WR bought a townhouse in Minnesota worth $405,000.

Jefferson mentioned to GQ that when facing the dilemma of buying or renting a place, he took the advice of his parents to buy the house. He has a dog that lives with him. Justin Jefferson’s house is 4 minutes from the Vikings facility which is helpful for him to easily practice and get back home.

Justin Jefferson Car

Justin Jefferson is a fan of cars. He loves sports cars. The Vikings WR currently drives the Mercedes-AMG GT 63, which he bought immediately after signing the $13,122,805 contract. The car is worth $150,000. Jefferson nicknamed his matte black Mercedes as the Batmobile.