For the vast majority of NFL wide receivers, catching 84 passes for 1,048 yards would be considered a strong season. After all, only 20 players hit the 1,000-yard mark during the 2025 regular season, and only 17 tallied more than 80 catches.
For Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson, however, that stat line represents the worst year of his six-year career, and the career-low two touchdowns only add to it. Yes, he had fewer receptions in 2023, tallying just 68, but that was also the season in which he missed seven games. Even so, he still did more with those 68 grabs, racking up 1,074 yards and five touchdowns.
Jefferson's dip in productivity, of course, can be directly correlated with the issues Minnesota faced at the quarterback position, which we'll break down momentarily. Despite the down year by his standards, however, the four-time Pro Bowler still believes he's the best in the world at what he does.
Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson says he's still the best wide receiver in the NFL
After letting Sam Darnold walk out the door to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, a decision that obviously makes Super Bowl 60 tough to watch for Vikings fans, 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy finally took the field after missing his entire rookie campaign, but struggled with injuries and inconsistency.
In 2025, McCarthy missed seven games with various ailments and only completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the 10 games in which he did appear.
Carson Wentz fared well at times in his five starts, and Jefferson actually had his two best games of the season with the veteran under center, going for 126 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 in Dublin and 123 yards against the Cleveland Browns a week later in London.
He did get a third 100-yard game in Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers, going for 101 yards in a game that McCarthy started and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer finished. Brosmer, by the way, ended his year with zero touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Jefferson has been making the media rounds ahead of Super Bowl 60, and on Thursday, he made an appearance on Fox Sports' "First Things First" show. When flat-out asked by co-host Nick Wright if he still believed he's the best wideout in the NFL today, the LSU alum wasted no time with his response, saying "yes" before Wright even finished the question and then going into a little more detail.
"I mean, how [am I] not? A lot of people base it off of the quarterback play. Just different things that really go into my position. Obviously, I've got to rely on and I got to depend on a lot of people in order for me to get that ball.
If I don't have an elite quarterback that's throwing me the ball the entire year, then it's a little bit difficult to be in those conversations. Having a young quarterback that's still learning the game and still learning his potential in this league, you kind of have those difficult seasons, which I had this past year.
I still think that I'm still No. 1. I still think that no one in this league can cover me man-to-man. That's without a doubt. My confidence level will always be high, and I will always feel that I'm No. 1 in my eyes."
As you can see, his confidence certainly isn't shaken, nor should it be, as his overall resume speaks for itself.
In his six seasons, Jefferson has caught 579 passes for 8,480 yards with 42 touchdowns. And in reaching the 1,000-yard mark in Week 18, he became just the third player ever to hit the figure in each of his first six seasons, joining Randy Moss and Mike Evans.
And, of course, there's also the fact of the matter that he holds the NFL record for the most receiving yards of anyone in their first six years, setting the new mark in Week 17. For those unaware, he also owns the records for the most yards through two seasons (3,016), three seasons (4,825), four seasons (5,899), and five seasons (7,432).
Yes, there are plenty of other great receivers who could argue being the No. 1 guy in the NFL right now. But again, even with the issues the Vikings had at QB, Jefferson still went out and posted 80-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards, which simply speaks to how truly remarkable he really is.
He now just has to hope McCarthy or whoever is under center for the Vikings in 2026 can match his consistency.