Last offseason Justin Jefferson inked a contract extension with Minnesota that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. That has since been surpassed, and sources around the league told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler he’s not even the best at his position anymore.

NFL personnel drop Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson in rankings

Fowler has been polling league executives, coaches, and scouts to rank players at their positions each of the past six years. Last season Justin Jefferson was named the top wide receiver in football and he has never been lower than fourth. This time around Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase took his spot. Fowler outlined why.

“Chase got him this year, but Jefferson, a two-time champion in our rankings, should vie for the crown perennially. His early career brilliance stands alone, with an NFL-record 7,432 receiving yards through his first five seasons. His four seasons of at least 1,400 yards trails only Jerry Rice (six) and Julio Jones (five).

Jefferson’s pro football path is already an Apple Maps search from Minneapolis to Canton. Jefferson’s 34 career games of 100 or more yards leads all NFL receivers since 2020. And while Chase has a top-three passer targeting him, Jefferson has never played with a top-10 quarterback in Minnesota.”

Jeremy Fowler – ESPN

I can listen to the argument that Chase is the one wide receiver who may be better than Justin Jefferson. That doesn’t make it any less jarring when the suggestion actually gets traction.

Jefferson has posted at least 1,000 yards in all five of his professional seasons. That includes a 2023 in which he was injured and played in just 10 games. His 1,809 yards led the league in 2022, and his career 96.5 yards per game average is an all-time record.

.@JJettas2 CLUTCH.#ProBowlVote

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/HFiWQZibHR

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2024

This ranking is about the season that was and that upcoming though. Still, it’s hard to conclude that 1,533 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 90.2 yards per game are bad marks while Sam Darnold was the quarterback. Jefferson certainly helped to save the veteran quarterbacks career. Chase had the luxury of playing with Joe Burrow and still finished just slightly ahead of the MN Vikings wideout when looking at totals.

High praise still rolls in for MN Vikings Justin Jefferson

Although Chase finished ahead of Jefferson in the yearly rankings, it wasn’t as though respondents wanted to slight the Minnesota Vikings wideout. Jefferson is very clearly one of the best to ever step on the field, and that was highlighted as well.

“He’s the best route runner and probably has the best hands. The way he gets in and out of his breaks and uses his body to maneuver, it’s just really hard to get a handle on.” – Anonymous AFC executive

“No wonder why Aaron Rodgers wanted to play [in Minnesota]. He would get one of the best playcallers, he plays in a dome and he gets Jefferson.” – Anonymous AFC scout

When it comes to the talent shared between Chase and Jefferson it’s truly a tough spot to pick a clear winner. Chase is a year behind the Vikings wideout when it comes to NFL tenure, but he is staring at some of the same accomplishments and certainly looking to make up ground.

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It remains to be seen how good the quarterback play will be for Jefferson this season. Minnesota is breaking in 2024 first round pick J.J. McCarthy. If it goes according to plan, Jefferson will have a top quarterback for the first time, and his numbers will reach otherworldly status.

There is opportunity for the Vikings wideout to take back the stop spot. He can remind league personnel just how impactful he is when Minnesota kicks off their season against the Chicago Bears in September.

Remember his week 12 flop vs the Bears, when he caught two passes for just 27 total receiving yards? In the age of fantasy football, nobody cares that you are seeing bracket coverage every week, making it nearly impossible at times for Sam Darnold to get him the football. Justin Jefferson was a top 5 pick in most fantasy drafts, and they want to see that investment paid off every week with lots of yards and a touchdown or two.

Then, right after JJ had his come to Jesus performance on Sunday, his former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase lit up the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football with 14 receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns, adding to his lead in each category.

Who is better: Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson?

That led to this tweet from X aggregator, Dov Kleiman, which included a side-by-side comparison between Jefferson and Chase, with a caption that read, “It’s time to have a conversation.”

It’s time to have a conversation. pic.twitter.com/ZPrtL7QQPY

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 10, 2024

Jefferson trails Chase in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, suggesting that he hasn’t been on his college teammate’s level in 2024. However, the advanced metrics and per-route efficiency may suggest that Jefferson is not only not having a down season. He may be playing as well as ever and is still the league’s premier receiver.

Let’s compare the box score stats first. Numbers in parenthesis indicate rankings among qualified wide receivers in the league, excluding tight ends and running backs. All stats are from Next Gen Stats.

Chase leads the league in all three traditional receiving categories. Jefferson not only trails in all three categories, but his highest rank is 2nd in yards, behind only his LSU comrade. On standard paper, Chase clearly looks like the best wide receiver in the NFL.

But the bottom half of the table suggests that Chase’s box score stats are substantially higher than Jefferson’s, mostly due to a higher volume of routes and targets. His QB Joe Burrow targets him more often than Sam Darnold targets Jefferson, and the Bengals offense throws the ball even more than the Vikings.

That’s led to Ja’Marr running 90 more routes than Jefferson, which trails only Cleveland Browns wideout Jerry Jeudy, on the season. That’s almost seven more routes per game than Justin Jefferson. Not only that, but Chase gets 25% of the Bengals’ targets. For good reason, of course. He catches 73.2% of everything thrown his way.

Chase has a significant edge in touchdowns among all receivers, too. But receiving touchdowns can be overvalued as a metric of performance. Throughout a football game, touchdowns are relatively rare occurrences. They depend on multiple factors, including game flow and red zone opportunities.

The type of coverage Justin Jefferson gets 😂😭 https://t.co/DkVPI49405 pic.twitter.com/pwFy8LYdjC

— Edman (@__Edman__) December 10, 2024

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This can lead to significant variance in touchdowns from year to year. For example, Ja’Marr Chase had only seven touchdowns in 2023, despite playing 16 games and posting 100 catches for 1,216 yards. Through just 14 games in 2024, he already has 15.

The only season Jefferson has hit 10 touchdowns was in 2021, in part because he played with Adam Thielen for the first two seasons of his career, and that’s who Minnesota targeted in the red zone. What does that mean? Nothing. Even Julio Jones only reached 10 touchdowns one time during his 13-year HOF career.

Advanced metrics suggest Justin Jefferson is still the better WR

When looking at advanced metrics, Jefferson regains the edge. His efficiency and ability to succeed in challenging situations demonstrate why he remains the gold standard among NFL receivers.

Jefferson is averaging 0.2 yards per route more than Chase in 2024. So, if he ran 90 more routes to match Chase’s 509 at 2.79 yards per route, Jefferson would have 1,420 yards on the season. That would give him a 100-yard lead on Chase in the box score.

Another key stat is Catch Rate Over Expected (CROE), which measures how often a receiver makes a catch compared to what an average receiver would do in the same situation. This is based on factors such as the difficulty of the throw and the kind of coverage being played.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Playoff Clinching Scenarios – Week 15

Jefferson’s +10.2% CROE ranks sixth among all qualified wideouts. This means that when the ball is coming his way, he’s catching the ball despite whatever coverage he’s facing. His 11.7 air yards per target is over two yards higher than Chase (9.4), making the average pass more challenging for Jefferson. He is also catching passes in a tight windows more often than Chase.

Every catch from Justin Jefferson's 137-yard game against the Colts#NFL pic.twitter.com/rBL1wdycbg

— Highlight Vault (@HighlightVault) November 4, 2024

The two are neck-and-neck in total receiving EPA, a cumulative metric measuring how much a receiver contributes to his team’s scoring chances on a scoring play. Third-down conversions help the stat, while plays like drops hurt it.

Yet Jefferson once again holds the edge on a per-target basis. If he had the same number of targets, he would have 61 receiving EPA. It would take him 13 fewer targets than Chase to surpass Chase’s current number of 54.5.

Jefferson has outpaced Chase throughout their careers

If we compare their careers as well, Jefferson still has the advantage. Jefferson entered the league in 2020, and Chase came in one year later. Chase had 2.62 yards per route run as a rookie, the highest of his career. Jefferson’s lowest mark in a season came in 2022, when he averaged 2.68 yards per route run. Jefferson’s career-high came in 2023 when he averaged 2.99 yards per route run.

In terms of receiving EPA, Chase’s career high (+60.6) came during his rookie season. Jefferson exceeded that mark in three of his first four seasons. The only year he didn’t eclipse it was 2023 when he missed seven games due to injury and finished with plus-39.6 EPA.

Even if we look at the traditional stats, Jefferson holds the edge. He led the league with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards in 2022. Chase has yet to lead the league in either category, although we’ve already covered that he’s on pace to do it for the first time this season. Still, leading the league this year would match what Jefferson has done, not give Chase an advantage.

Related: Former Minnesota Vikings Starting Wide Receiver Hits Waivers

No one has averaged more receiving yards per game in their career than these two receivers. Chase ranks second all-time with 86.8 yards per game. That still falls a whole 10 yards behind Jefferson, who is the all-time leader with 96.8 receiving yards per game. To put that in perspective, if Chase averaged 10 yards fewer per game, he’d rank 10th all-time.

Justin Jefferson is still the NFL standard

Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase have been spectacular receivers, but Jefferson still holds the edge. Despite a lower volume of routes run, Jefferson is still more efficient than Chase in 2024. He’s had the advantage throughout their careers as well. These two are the NFL’s best receivers, but the best one still plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

But what’s going on between the Bengals and star WR Ja’Marr Chase, makes negotiations in Eagan with Bynum and (maybe) Harrison Phillips look like a group of engaged couples going back and forth over wedding ring options.

According to Chase, himself, a deal in Cincinnati is getting closer by the hour. But now, there are less than 45 hours until the Bengals’ season kicks off. Ja’Marr met with media again on Friday, visibly frustrated by the situation.

Ja’Marr Chase responds to reports he’s trying to make more than Justin Jefferson

Every answer he gave came with a glare toward the reporter who asked it. One daring Big J asked if there’s any truth to the recent report that Chase is seeking one cent more than his former LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson, who’s now the highest-paid non-QB in football. To that, Ja’Marr scoffed and said “if I wanted to beat Justin, I’d beat the shit out of Justin”.

And to that, I scoff and say, “you’re delusional”.

"If I want to beat Justin, I want to beat the s*** out of Justin. Not by a penny, brother."

Two more minutes with Ja'Marr Chase on how close they are to an extension and reports that he wants one more penny more than Justin Jefferson. pic.twitter.com/liUQYdcVOW

— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) September 6, 2024

“If I want to beat Justin, I want to beat the shit out of Justin. Not by a penny, brother.”

“I’m not really looking to go a lot higher. It’s not really me trying to beat him out, me trying to go crazy. It’s about, you know, what’s right.”

Ja’Marr Chase on whether or not he is trying to make more money than Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson has nothing but love for his friend, Ja’Marr Chase. He confirmed that again, with Kay Adams, earlier this week. But I’m not so convinced that Chase feels the same way, deep down.

Cincinnati Bengals WR jealous of Minnesota Vikings WR

Jealousy is a powerful drug, and it’s ruined relationships much tighter than Justin and Ja’Marr have. Of course, that’s just speculation. But it’s not speculative to say that Chase is jealous of Jefferson.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Wide Receivers Cleared, Ready to Go vs Giants

Remember, it was the younger Chase, who LSU had to fight to get. Jefferson was a non-ballyhooed recruit, who committed to his brothers’ alma-mater as soon as he got the offer. That was an established part of their relationship, until Ja’Marr was drafted into the NFL.

Now, shoes are on opposite feet. Justin Jefferson is now the highest paid WR in football and Chase is having troubles getting his team to say, with their offer, that he is on the same level as his former teammate. How much does that bug him? You be the judge.

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Chase has opted for the diva route many times, during negotiations. That’s why, all offseason long, there have been doubts surrounding whether or not he was going to show up at camp, or take part in team activities. He did show up. But the daily drama continues to drag on, even as we close in on the regular season.

Bengals head coach, Zac Taylor has been dancing around media questions regarding Chase for months now. It’s been quite the sideshow in Cinci. On Saturday, Ian Rapoport (NFL Network) gave an update on the situation.

Ja’Marr Chase demanding once cent more than Justin Jefferson

According to his sources, the two sides are inching closer to an agreement. What’s the hold up? Apparently, Ja’Marr Chase has made his demands clear to both the Bengals, and the NFL Network insider.

He wants to be paid more than his fellow Louisiana State University alum got from the Minnesota Vikings. Even if it’s only one cent more, Chase wants those bragging rights over his buddy and he reportedly won’t sign a deal until it’s for $0.01 more than Jets.

The goal of #Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase is to beat #Vikings WR Justin Jefferson’s contract by $0.01, per @RapSheet.

pic.twitter.com/uB8RbdqwDW

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) August 31, 2024

“My understanding is the two sides are still discussing a potential long term extension that, if he got it, would make him either tied for the highest paid receiver [in the NFL] with Justin Jefferson, or beating Justin Jefferson by 1 cent, which I believe is, in fact, the goal by Ja’Marr Chase. We will see, over the next how many days till the season starts whether or not that happens.”

Ian Rapoport – NFL Network

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There’s a caveat to Chase’s hold-in, though. Rapoport says Ja’Marr plans to play in the Bengals’ first regular season game, with or without a new contract. He’d probably be willing to hold out, but can’t afford to miss game checks or pay the resulting fines.

Minnesota Vikings fans are lucky to have Jefferson

Thus, Chase is going to make the Bengals a circus show, until he gets what he wants. His only leverage is his willingness to disrupt the lives and press conferences of his teammates and coaches. Zac Taylor is so sick of hearing about Ja’Marr Chase he could puke. You can almost see him gagging in his most recent meetings with media.

New @WLWT: Zac Taylor is now noncommittal on Ja’Marr Chase’s status for Week 1. Chase is officially “day-to-day” per Taylor, who admits he probably “spoke too quickly” on Tuesday.

“Look forward to getting him back hopefully at some point soon.” pic.twitter.com/wDBbc3kzQC

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) August 28, 2024

Yet again, this is another moment for Minnesota Vikings fans to stop their days and thank the football gods (or Philadelphia Eagles) for gifting us Justin Jefferson. Yes, Jets eventually got paid, but he and Kwesi worked on his deal on and off for two years. Never once did he threaten to miss a mandatory workout, let along games.

He kept all discussions in-house and never talked bad about the Vikings or made it seem like the two sides weren’t on the same page. He just went about his business, and waited for his agents and Minnesota’s front office to do what they are paid to.

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In the end, even after an injury that could have been devastating, he got his. No distractions, no nonsense. Unlike what the Bengals are having to wrestle, with his jealous former teammate. And even if he does technically get one cent more than Justin Jefferson, I’ll be interested to see how it’s structured and what’s fully guaranteed, vs what’s fluff money.