Justin Jefferson wants to out-do his Minnesota Vikings wide receiver and famed magazine cover predecessor.
While Jefferson has electrified the NFL similar to former Vikings wideout and Hall of Famer Randy Moss, Jefferson wants to do one thing Moss didn't achieve in Minnesota: Win a Super Bowl.
Jefferson made that declaration amid his "ESPN The Magazine" cover photoshoot, which was released on Tuesday.
“I just want to bring a championship to Minnesota," Jefferson told ESPN. "The people are too good here. The fan base is too good. It's been a long time coming.”
Minnesota has a 0-4 record in Super Bowls, a dubious distinction that only the Buffalo Bills share. Moss threatened to erase that as a high-flying rookie for a 15-1 Vikings squad in 1998, but Minnesota came up short in the NFC Championship Game. His Vikings also fell short 41-0 in the NFC title game to the New York Giants during the 2000 season.
The Vikings reached another two NFC title games since, falling short each time with the last in 2018. Jefferson, who joined the Vikings in 2020, has helped this year's squad start 5-1 with eyes on another deep playoff run.
Minnesota last made a Super Bowl in 1977, a loss to the then-Oakland Raiders. The Vikings, known mainly for defense as the "Purple People Eaters" in the 1970s, made four Super Bowls during that decade.
While Moss never took the Vikings that far in the 2000s, he became one of the league's brightest stars. That included a famed "Sport" magazine cover appearance with former Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett where the two swapped jerseys in the photoshoot.
Jefferson and current Wolves star Anthony Edwards did likewise 24 years later for the ESPN cover. Next, they'll seek elusive championship hardware for a metro area and state that hasn't seen title a winner if the four major professional sports since the 1991 Minnesota Twins.
