He has only been an NFL star since 2020, and somehow, his tail already reads like a legend in the making. Justin Jefferson, just three seasons into his pro career, has a resume few can brag about during a four-year stretch of their own. A former member of the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team (2020), the Minnesota Vikings star continues to impress, and we're sure you have heard this portion of the story before. He could have joined the Philadelphia Eagles.
We know... We know... Philly's decision to pass on J.J. and take Jalen Reagor instead is old news now and some might say water under the bridge. We have all moved on now, so you should too if you haven't. Besides, if he lands in Philly, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown don't, and we're happy with things how they are.
Still, here we are. The Birds enter their fifth season after passing on him, and he enters his fifth with the guys in purple. He is also being featured in Netflix's Receiver. The Birds, despite not having any of their players featured, still earned a mention from you know who.
The Eagles' strange connection to Justin Jefferson continues.
Okay, so here's the contradiction to everything you just read. We know Jefferson is a Viking. We know the mistake of not taking him can't be undone, and we should focus on our business. Still, he's just so darn interesting, and whether fair or unfair, his and Jalen Reagor's stories are forever linked in Philly. That said, if we are honest, we still peek sometimes to see what he is doing.
It wasn't always fun. Reagor did almost nothing in Philly, and since the other guy has entered the league, he has stacked an NFL Offensive Player of the Year nod (2022), a First-team All-Pro mention (2022), two more mentions as a Second-team All-Pro (2020, 2021). He led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards in 2022, and his first three seasons ended with trips to the Pro Bowl.
Nope, we haven't stopped watching Jefferson, but he hasn't stopped paying attention to our side either. Shortly after being ignored by Philly (and taken by the Vikes with the very next selection), we saw clips of Minnesota's leadership structure laughing at Philly hysterically and their new receiver's vow that everyone who passed on him would pay.
His conversations about Philly have come and gone over the years. We enter Exhibit A into evidence.
Yeah, that sounds like a guy who has thought about this as much as we have. There's just one thing. The Vikings lost that game, and last season, when Philly and Minnesota met again, J.J. took another 'L'.
He looked much better in the second game after being locked down by Darius Slay in the first. We're talking about 11 receptions for 159 yards compared to six snags for 48 in 2022. Still, a loss is a loss, and another few paragraphs have been added to Philly's chapter in the Justin Jefferson biography.
Jefferson's 2023 has been documented in the aforementioned Receiver series. If you haven't checked it out, you should. Here's some motivation. They spent some time covering Justin's trip to Lincoln Financial Field in Week 2, and his reaction to what turned out to be another tough night for the Vikings is worth the price of admission.
Minnesota extended him by way of a massive four-year deal worth $140 million with $110 million guaranteed this offseason. That's smart. They should have. Meanwhile, though we thought this would be difficult to do, the Eagles found a way to extend both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Maybe the what-ifs will forever die at some point. Then again, we can argue that they already have. As stated earlier, had Philly taken Jefferson in Round 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft, they certainly wouldn't have taken DeVonta in 2021, nor would they have acquired A.J. Brown in 2022.
So, we like how things turned out. Howie threw a make-up date, and for all intents and purposes, there is harmony in Eagles Land.
