Justin Jefferson Was Indeed Snubbed
Based on 2025 statistical production, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson did not deserve Pro Bowl recognition. He’s battling to reach 1,000 yards, a mark he can sometimes reach in November. And on Tuesday, the NFL confirmed that Jefferson was indeed snubbed via Pro Bowl voting. Jefferson missed the cut.
By Jefferson’s own standard, the production didn’t quite reach Pro Bowl territory, even if the broader context still matters.
Jefferson, in theory, could still get the nod when other players inevitably drop out, but that’s just a longshot hope.
Justin Jefferson’s Pro Bowl Case Falls by the Wayside
It’s a no-go for Jefferson’s 2025 Pro Bowl hopes.
NFL Announces Pro Bowl WRs; Jefferson Missing
Jefferson has encountered a down year by his interstellar standards, so most Vikings fans prepared for this moment — and it happened.
The league announced Pro Bowl wide receivers this week, with Jefferson left out in the cold. These wide receivers, not Jefferson, gained the Pro Bowl kudos in the NFC:
- Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams)
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks)
- George Pickens (Dallas Cowboys)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions)
And in the AFC:
- Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Nico Collins (Houston Texans)
- Zay Flowers (Baltimore Ravens)
- Courtland Sutton (Denver Broncos)
Jefferson must wait until 2026 for another Pro Bowl invitation — unless an NFC wideout drops out and the process rewards Jefferson then.
SI.com’s Joe Nelson opined on the Vikings’ Pro Bowl plight, “This is the 65th season of Vikings football. The only seasons they’ve been skunked from the Pro Bowl previously were in 2014, Mike Zimmer’s first year as head coach, and 1983, which was Bud Grant’s would-be final season as coach until he returned in 1985 after the Les Steckel disaster of 1984.”
“Last year, Minnesota had seven Pro Bowl selections: Justin Jefferson, Brian O’Neill, Sam Darnold, Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Byron Murphy Jr., and Andrew DePaola. This year, the Broncos, Ravens, 49ers, and Seahawks tied for a league-high six selections. The Chargers, Cowboys, Lions, and Eagles had five players make the Pro Bowl. Did any Vikings deserve to make the Pro Bowl? Probably not.”
Zero Pro Bowlers is a sad moment of truth for the Vikings.
Nelson added, “Even Jefferson, despite his greatness, is producing at the lowest rate of his career. He’s 83 yards shy of reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the sixth consecutive season since Minnesota drafted him in 2020, but he’s found the end zone only two times as offensive line health and quarterback growing pains have limited what has historically been an explosive offense under head coach Kevin O’Connell.“
The Numbers for Jefferson
These are the current statistics for Jefferson through Week 16:
- 72 Receptions
- 917 Receiving Yards
- 2 Touchdowns
And if he maintains the exact pace in the final two games against the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, Jefferson will end up with this personal box score:
- 82 Receptions
- 1,039 Receiving Yards
- 2 Touchdowns
Those are absurdly good numbers for an unknown wide receiver and a sharp downturn per Jefferson’s normal production. Sadly, a cold, hard reality: Jefferson didn’t deserve the Pro Bowl in 2025.
QB Instability and Inefficiency Did Him In
The Vikings’ passing offense ranks 28th in the league per DVOA. That’s the fifth-worst passing team in the world. Onlookers universally agree that Jefferson is not the problem — because he is not.
Instead, Minnesota has trotted out a sampler platter of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer at quarterback this season. None has fed Jefferson at an efficient clip, so the wide receiver’s numbers — and the offense on the whole — have suffered accordingly.
Kirk Cousins had no problems getting Jefferson the ball. Neither did Nick Mullens. Sam Darnold kept Jefferson happy, too. But this current threesome of McCarthy, Wentz, and Brosmer could just never click with Jefferson, and now he’s missing customary Pro Bowl selections. Not ideal.
Maybe Next Year?
The Vikings have a few options to fix this ordeal — getting the best player the ball:
- Stay the course with McCarthy, hoping his chemistry with Jefferson improves, and cross fingers that McCarthy stays healthy.
- Signing one of the best backup quarterbacks on the planet to hedge the bet against McCarthy’s injury history.
- Trade for a player like Kyler Murray or Mac Jones to push McCarthy to the limit at training camp — and probably steal his job.
- Draft another quarterback in April.
If Minnesota navigates that decision board successfully, Jefferson could be back cooking as early as September 2026. Until then, folks will merely hope the franchise makes the right quarterback decision in the next few months.
You must be logged in to post a comment.