For four seasons Justin Jefferson has been walking history. The Minnesota Vikings' superstar has racked 5,899 career yards, the most in history over the first four years of a career, even though he missed seven games last year with an injury. If cumulative stats aren't your thing, the man affectionately (and accurately) known as Jets is also the NFL's career leader in receiving yards per game at 98.7, a number he has bumped up each season of his career.
Now, the historic player has the historic contract to match. The four-year, $140 million contract extension he signed this summer includes $110 million guaranteed and makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league. But that money isn't changing Justin or motivating him anymore than he already was for the precedent-setting start to his career.
"I never really was focused on the contract," Justin told Complex. "I knew the contract was going to come just based off of my plan style, how I play and what I do for the organization. I'm always going to be smiling and going to be myself out there on that field and just letting my play do all little talking that I need to do."
This year the little things will include building chemistry with a new quarterback. Kirk Cousins, the only quarterback he'd even known in his pro career tore his achilles in Week 8 last season and left Minnesota to join the Atlanta Falcons with his own nine figure contract in the offseason.
"Having Kirk for four years, that's the chemistry that you can't really just find down the street," Jefferson said. "That's just something that just doesn't come right off the bat. That's something that's built and something that's just stacked on top of the day and day after all of the countless situations that we've been through. All of the things that we've done together and accomplished together, that's something that just doesn't come with a new quarterback."
But that doesn't mean the three-time Pro Bowler is discouraged. In fact he's been enjoying building chemistry with the new man under center and the man who seems to be anointed as the heir apparent in Minnesota.
"Building that chemistry, building that connection with Sam (Darnold) and even (injured first round pick) J.J. (McCarthy) for future references, it is definitely something that's important," Justin stated. "Just talking to him every single day and trying to see where his head at on different route schemes and different plays and I'm confident in him. I'm always confident in whoever's throwing me the ball, but just seeing him hands on how he throws the deep throw accuracy and the ball placement and everything, I feel like he's going to have a big year for us, especially with the different guys that's surround him, the weapons that's surrounding him. I feel like it shouldn't be a big problem for him to get the ball in different guys' hands and let us go to work."
It will be an uphill climb as Jefferson and Darnold build that chemistry. The Vikings are smack dab in the middle of the toughest division in football, the only division to feature four teams who won at least seven games last year. This season each team has reason to be excited and expect a leap in play. Every team has retooled, and the Bears even added the No. 1 overall pick and the most exciting QB prospect that franchise has seen.
"It's definitely going to be a tough division just with the younger guys that's coming in," Jefferson said. "It's never easy, especially going away and playing in their environment, but that's what we signed up for. That's something that we got to just physically and mentally buy in and understand that it is going to be a war, is going to be a battle going into those difficult environments. But there's a goal that we're trying to reach. There's a goal that everyone's trying to reach, which is the Super Bowl. So it doesn't matter the different circ*mstances, the situations that we're put in, no matter who's in front of us, it is our job to go out there and kill whoever's stepping in front and go and get a victory at the end of the day."
And when Jefferson hops off the bus, whether it's at home in Minnesota or on the road he's going to make sure he makes a statement. Big shades, bigger chains, gleaming grills and loud fits in the tunnel are just as flashy as his play on the field.
"I'm a man of style. I'm a man of how I look and a man of swagger," Justin said with a laugh. "Whenever that camera's on me, I got to have the best fit. I got to have the best look. I got to look the best. So in order for that to happen, I can't do it myself of course because I'm stationary in Minnesota. Minnesota doesn't have the biggest variety of clothing here. So just having different people go to different spots and getting me different stuff. So it's a team effort man. It's a team effort, but whatever you see on game day is something I'll put together myself. So just say I got the own style."
That combination of flash and performance on the field, style on it and personality to match has made the man who popularized the Griddy one of the most marketable stars in the sport.
Gatorade
The latest partnership he's adding to his vast portfolio is an iconic one: Gatorade.
Jefferson joins a star studded crew linking with the brand ahead of this season. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua and Diana Flores, the first flag football athlete to join the Gatorade family. The group will star as part of the "You Know We Got ‘IT’” campaign, to a new flip and Gatorade's revival of the brand’s iconic tagline “Is It In You?.”
"I mean to even get the news that they wanted me on the team is something that I was stoked about," the noted "purple" Gatorade fan revealed. "Being a fan of Gatorade for a long time, ever since a kid seeing LeBron James, seeing Michael Jordan on those different commercials and wanting to be a part of those different commercials, want to be that top tier athlete. That's the main focus on that commercial and the main focus of their brand. Totally. So it's an honor to be a part of their team and to work with them and I'm excited to see what we have in store together. Putting up some different pieces and projects and seeing how far this thing go."
But for now, Justin is focused on the new season and all of the potential he and his team has.
"I'm definitely excited for this upcoming season, especially with some of the new guys that we're having in the building on the roster and just the potential that we have in our building is just something that we're excited about," he said through his million watt smile. "Of course we have a lot of changes that we made in the all season, with my contract signing some other guys and just adding some new guys onto the roster. I'm excited to see how everything will pan out onto just what we expect and how it actually goes."
