Dear Wilfs, Give Justin Jefferson Whatever He Wants

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Justin Jefferson had a day vs the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. A day that ended in a Minnesota Vikings overtime victory. It feels wrong to talk about Justin Jefferson catching footballs without first including a video of his impossible grab on 4th and 19, late in the game. You know, the greatest catch in football history?

Breaking Contested Catch Brains

His surface numbers — 10 REC, 193 YDS, 1 TD — are impressive enough on their own. But a look behind those statistics paint an even more impressive picture. But it wasn’t just one catch that never should have been made. JJ’s 10 receptions were on such a ridiculous difficulty level that advanced measurement systems nearly shortwired.

His 7 contested catches on Sunday, according to PFF, are more than most wideouts have reeled in all season (see below. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, 9 of his 10 receptions had a sub-50% catch probability. That’s the most ever, in the Next Gen era.

Give Justin Jefferson Whatever He Wants

Jefferson is on pace to reach 2,000 yards this season. With 8 games remaining on the regular season schedule, he needs less than 600 yards to eclipse Randy Moss’ franchise record of 1,632 yards. Peter King named him as a top-5 MVP candidate on Monday.

We’ve documented Justin Jefferson’s dismissal of his upcoming contract negotiations last offseason and even more recently. He claims not to be into money. Yeah, and next week on Sesame Street, cookie monster claims not to be into cookies.

Barring a massive back-half falloff that won’t happen or an injury that would torpedo the Vikings’ season, Jefferson is going to get the biggest wide receiver pay day in NFL history. And I promise, he isn’t going to turn it down. Nobody knows his worth more than JJ, himself.

So here’s my quick message to the Wilf family:

Dear Zygi & Co.,

When Justin Jefferson’s representatives hold out their hand to collect record-breaking cash, for their client, you should hand them a blank check. Seriously, give that kid whatever the hell he wants.

Throw in the key to Manny’s? Why not! How about a boat full of strippers on Lake Minnetonka? Sure, I’ll call Fred Smoot myself! Doesn’t matter. Jefferson’s wish should be your command. He’s the NFL’s next superstar and your organization cannot let him get away.

Sincerely,

Your Entire Fanbase

———

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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