Justin Jefferson One Ups Vikings Legend Randy Moss

Ted Schwerzler |

Feb 10, 2023

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports.

On Thursday evening, the NFL handed out individual awards for the season. Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson has begun his career by tracking down legend Randy Moss. With his Offensive Player of the Year victory, he took down an honor that eluded Moss.

Randy Moss played in more than 100 games for Minnesota and racked up plenty of individual accolades along the way. Although he was a multi-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, he never found himself named the Offensive Player of the Year. Minnesota’s only previous award recipients included Fran Tarkenton and Adrian Peterson.

Justin Jefferson One Ups Vikings Legend Randy Moss

On his way to the award, Justin Jefferson was tracking for some truly legendary numbers this season. At one point on pace with Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yardage total, Jefferson led the league in both receptions and yardage. He didn’t pass Megatron in the end, but his 1,809 yards came out to an average of more than 100 per game.

In #Vikings Justin Jefferson's acceptance speech for Offensive Player of the Year, he thanked parents, saying they "made me into the man I am." He thanked 2 brothers for being "so hard on me" & being "reason… that I'm tough." He ended 1-minute speech by saying, "More to come"
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) February 10, 2023

It would have always been a longshot for Jefferson to win the NFL MVP award. The recipient is often a quarterback, and no wide receiver has ever held the honor. While it was nice to see him named as a finalist, anything but a truly revolutionary season would come up short on the podium. Ultimately that bore out as truth when Jefferson found himself as the fifth candidate.

#Vikings Justin Jefferson to NFL Network on his night: “It’s a true honor. It's a blessing to be in my position, being the only non-QB to be in the finalists for the MVP. … I came into the league striking and I haven’t stopped since. Every year, I’m getting better and better.”
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) February 10, 2023

Betting against Jefferson seems like a poor choice. He has continued to take the league by storm and is just 23 years old. He already had made his presence felt during his first two seasons, and in his third, he took things to a new level. With head coach Kevin O’Connell focused on finding him opportunities, there’s no telling how high his stardom could rise.

Justin Jefferson One — Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

The Vikings put up a strong season as a whole in 2022, and Jefferson was awarded for his highlight in Buffalo. The amazing one-handed catch to push the comeback was named the NFL Moment of the Year, and that’s truly saying something when it casts aside the largest comeback in NFL history.

Randy Moss — Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.

From a trophy room perspective and development-wise, the Minnesota Vikings can continue to expect massive things from their LSU product. With the offseason including contract negotiations that will likely focus on the biggest wide receiver contract in history, all eyes will be on Jefferson as he decides how much it will take to keep him in Minnesota and for how long.

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Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.