Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ben Leber was not too thrilled with Justin Jefferson after the receiver’s recent comments about Kirk Cousins.
Recently, we discussed how some of the answers given by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson during an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” last week were misinterpreted, specifically to the questions he was asked that related to Kirk Cousins.
Some came away from Jefferson‘s interview thinking that he was taking shots at Cousins, when this actually wasn’t the case at all.
Still, some were unhappy with the way in which the receiver’s answers appeared to come across. This group includes former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who recently responded to Jefferson’s comments by tweeting that the receiver should be “careful not to bite the hand that fed him.”
Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker is wrong about Justin Jefferson
In addition to the portion of Leber’s tweet that sounds like he copied it from a Magic 8-Ball, he also stated that Jefferson “wouldn’t have been on ‘The Herd’ if not for .”
Excuse me? Jefferson wouldn’t have been successful enough in 2020 to appear on a radio show if Cousins wasn’t the guy throwing him passes?
If this was the case, then why didn’t Adam Thielen finish with over 1,000 receiving yards last season when he averaged about half a target less per game (7.2) than Jefferson did (7.8)? Cousins threw him passes too, and since he’s why Jefferson was so successful last year, Thielen should’ve ended up with at least 1,200 yards, right?
Speaking of Thielen, was his breakout season in 2017 when he caught 91 passes for 1,276 yards and four touchdowns due to Case Keenum being Minnesota’s starting quarterback for most of the year? Because this would fall under the same logic of saying that Jefferson’s success wouldn’t have happened without Cousins.
If anything, Jefferson probably could have achieved even more in 2020 if he wasn’t a member of an offense that finished with the sixth-fewest passing attempts in the NFL last year.
Let’s just pretend Jefferson suited up for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, who finished the 2020 campaign with the seventh-most passing attempts in the league (616). Based on the percentage of pass attempts that were fired at the young receiver last year (24.2), his numbers with the Jaguars would’ve looked something like 105 catches for 1,670 yards and eight touchdowns.
But these totals would have been mostly due to Gardner Minshew and Mike Glennon being the guys to throw to him last year, right? No, of course not.
4 Vikings players who could be gone after the 2021 season
Which current members of the 2021 Minnesota Vikings roster could be entering their last season in a purple and gold uniform?
Jefferson had a legendary rookie season for the Vikings in 2020 and the team is obviously hoping he can continue to have similar success next season. The Minnesota receiver has already credited Cousins this offseason for contributing to his impressive rookie production, but to say that his achievements last year wouldn’t have happened without Cousins is one of the most ridiculous things anyone could ever believe.