Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is one of the best pass-catchers in the game. He’ll get a chance to be even better with presumed new coach Kevin O’Connell running the show.
“I’m excited, honestly,” Jefferson told PFT Live on Thursday regarding the expectation that the Rams offensive coordinator will be taking over the Vikings early next week. “I’m excited for him. I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about him. Just like you said, watching Cooper Kupp this whole season, he’s been killing it. He’s been wide open pretty much every single play. I’m excited for it. This’ll be my first coach on the offensive side. I’m excited.”
Vikings fans should be excited, too. Already great, Jefferson could be poised to become even greater in 2022. With two years under his belt, he’s definitely poised to become more of a leader.
“I think that now it’s becoming year three and I did the things I had done in my first two seasons,” Jefferson said. “I feel like this is the year I become more of a leader. More [of a] captain of the team. Just being more vocal. The first two seasons, you’re new to the building, you’re the rookie, you’re the new guy. A lot of people don’t really, I guess not technically listen to you.”
They’ll listen now. And we wanted to listen to what he had to say about quarterback Kirk Cousins, a definite X factor given that he’s not signed beyond 2022.
“At the end of the day, I didn’t throw balls to myself,” Jefferson said. “A lot of people say things about Kirk. To be honest, all people really care about is wins. At the end of the day, if you don’t get any wins, then people are going to be a little harsh on you. If we start winning, get some dubs, get in the playoffs, get high in the playoffs, maybe reach to the Super Bowl, I mean, I’m pretty sure people ain’t going to be on him then.”
Can Cousins do it? Jefferson definitely wants to see it happen. Especially with two of his LSU teammates (Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase) vying for a Super Bowl win on Sunday.