EAGAN, Minn. — Justin Jefferson still draws constant double coverage. He has made plenty of clutch catches this year. The Minnesota Vikings continue to keep him as the heart of their entire offensive scheme.

Over the first half of the season, though, Jefferson hasn’t been the same high-impact player. His averages of 13.5 yards per reception and 76.2 yards per game are both career lows for the two-time All-Pro wide receiver.

The transition to a developmental quarterback in J.J. McCarthy — and the five-game switch to Carson Wentz while McCarthy recovered from a sprained ankle — predictably has been a factor. But Jefferson acknowledged this week that he hasn’t felt like his usual self, smiling as he said he’s seeking to return to the “savage mode” he has previously played in.

“Just different things going on in my life,” Jefferson said, without elaborating when asked during his regular interview session with reporters why he has been missing that extra edge. “Just wanting to get back to that kid phase of overly loving football and overly loving just being out there on Sundays and making the big plays and just being a part of this great organization.”

For all the route-running clinics he has put on and highlight-reel catches Jefferson has produced, the relentless competitor in him has made just as much of an impact on the team over his six seasons. During the third-to-last game of the 2023 season against the Detroit Lions, with the playoffs nearly out of reach, Jefferson sprinted 20 yards to recover a fumble by quarterback Nick Mullens and keep a last-ditch drive alive, a play that coach Kevin O’Connell has frequently cited in his praise of Jefferson.

Jefferson, too, has always been keenly self-aware. Without directly addressing the rare online criticism that went his way for a lackluster performance in the 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, he made clear the perception — fair or not — that he failed to give full effort to pursue the defenders after two different passes to him from McCarthy were intercepted didn’t sit well with him. He said essentially that the frustration with those plays going against the Vikings in another game in which the offense had substandard production overrode in those situations his instinct to immediately chase after the ball.

“Emotionally things get heated sometimes, and things weren’t going our way at that moment,” Jefferson said. “Just wanting a better outcome and of course with the offense that we have I feel like we should be playing better than we are.”

Jefferson was on social media Thursday when he spotted a post highlighting the anniversary of the one-handed catch he made on fourth-and-18 to help the Vikings win at Buffalo during the 2022 season after which he was voted as Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. The highlight clip stirred in him that competitive desire to get back to “Year 3 Jets,” referencing his nickname and that award-winning 2022 performance.

“I love the job and I love being here with these guys and being here with this organization, so there’s definitely a lot of great things to be grateful for and to be happy about,” Jefferson said. “I’m just an ultracompetitor, and I hate to lose at the end of the day.”

The Vikings host the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

“And nobody will lead the charge more than Justin,” O’Connell said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/15/justin-jefferson-minnesota-vikings/