What If the Vikings Short Justin Jefferson?

Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers holds no weight for either team. The Vikings’ draft positioning will be in the middle of the pack regardless, and Green Bay can’t improve beyond the seventh seed. It doesn’t matter in the statistical sense for Justin Jefferson, though.

With nothing on the line, the Vikings still control whether Jefferson’s streak survives, and that decision says plenty about how they view individual milestones.

This is Jefferson’s sixth season in the NFL. He passed Randy Moss recently for the most receiving yards in the first six seasons of a career. That’s somewhat remarkable considering what the superstar has had to work with at the quarterback position this season. Still, he is just 53 yards from keeping his 1,000-yard streak alive.

The Stakes Go Beyond the Score for Justin Jefferson

It has been four years since Jefferson flirted with Calvin Johnson’s NFL record season. In 2023, he dealt with a hamstring injury that limited him to just 10 games, but still finished with 1,074 yards. Sam Darnold threw for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. This collection has Jefferson sitting at 947 yards through 16 games.

The Vikings are more than a touchdown favorite on Sunday, and they should certainly beat the Packers’ backups even with their own depleted roster. Unless Jefferson gets fed for at least 53 yards, though, the result should be deemed a failure.

I’m not ready to believe that Jefferson will flirt with trade demands this offseason. He has seen the dumpster fire at quarterback and will speak to the changes needed there. Rather than uproot himself, he’ll likely be involved in making sure there is a better plan going forward, and that 2026 won’t be a repeat of this debacle.

However, failing to keep Jefferson’s impressive streak rolling because of the ineptitude at the quarterback position would be malpractice. He’s going to be focused on by Green Bay, but he’ll be going up against lackluster talent. Even the starting squad shouldn’t be expected to contain him, and whatever quarterback is under center needs to force-feed him the football.

If Kevin O’Connell knows what’s best for him, then scheming his top option open on plays early and often is a must. Jefferson has been an amenable soldier. There’s no reason to test that luck, and certainly he cares about his own personal legacy as well.

Next year can take care of itself when we get there. Results in the win column be damned, Sunday should be about getting Jefferson his.