After setting the Vikings’ single-season mark for receiving yards, is Justin Jefferson’s next stop the league’s single-season record? According to Adam Schein over at NFL.com, that’s the natural progression.
In a bold predictions article, Schein writes: “Jefferson is the kind of unstoppable force who can make that happen, especially in Year 2 of Kevin O’Connell’s offense.”
Jefferson would need to average 118 yards per game over the course of a 17-game season to reach 2,000 yards. He averaged 106.4 in 2022 on his way to 1,809 receiving yards.
As a rookie, Jefferson finished with 1,400 yards, following that up with 1,616 yards in 2021 and his 1,809 last season. Calvin Johnson came the closest to hitting 2,000 in 2012 when he finished with 1,964 receiving yards.
Kevin O’Connell has a history of creating game plans that produce incredible offensive output for wide receivers. Cooper Kupp had 1,947 yards in O’Connell’s final year as offensive coordinator in Los Angeles.
Jefferson may find it difficult to beat the 2K mark because of the weapons the Vikings have around him. K.J. Osborn looks set for a breakout year in his contract season, the Vikings just used a first-round pick on USC WR Jordan Addison and the they will have a full season of T.J. Hockenson taking away targets.
Then again, those same arguments could be made in his favor because those weapons around him should make it harder for defenses to double or triple team Jefferson, giving him more room to work his magic.
