Destrehan High School’s own Justin Jefferson has quickly ascended to the NFL’s elite tier of players – and now he’s adding hardware to cement it.
The Minnesota Vikings’ wide receiver captured the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year honor this week, as besting a strong crop of finalists that include Super Bowl starting quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, and Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins.
Jefferson entered the 2022-23 season as the player with the most receiving yards through his first two seasons in NFL history. All he did was follow up on that with his very best season yet: his 128 receptions for 1,809 yards set new franchise record marks for Minnesota Vikings team that has seen all-time greats like Randy Moss and Cris Carter come through the ranks. He scored nine touchdowns this season, with eight coming through the air and one on a run.
Jefferson received 35 first-place votes and 192 points, finishing ahead of the runner-up Mahomes’ 10 first-place votes and 75 points.
In addition to the OPOY honor, Jefferson’s 4th and 18 reception that was key in Minnesota’s 33-30 upset over the Buffalo Bills was voted the NFL’s Best Moment of the Year. Jefferson was also named a unanimous first team All-Pro.
He had 10 100 yard games this season, including a franchise record 223 yards in a victory over the Detroit Lions. His play helped Minnesota to a 13-4 record this season, tied for the third-best mark among NFL teams.
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