Vikings Justin Jefferson doesn’t name Kirk Cousins among his top 5 QBs
Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates a first down catch against the Chicago Bears in the first quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Bears 29-22. (David Berding / Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings start training camp in less than three weeks, and the offense will likely be asked to carry a heavy load with the defense getting overhauled in the offseason.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is due to get a very large pay day in the not-too-distant future, but he may have slighted his quarterback, albeit not by intent, earlier this month. In a video interview posted to social media on July 1, Brazilian journalist Danilo Lacalle asks Jefferson to name his top-five NFL quarterbacks.
Kirk Cousins, the man who has helped reached historic heights in his first three seasons, was not one of them. Jefferson goes with Patrick Mahomes No. 1, and who can blame him? He’s won two Super Bowls, two Super Bowl MVPs and was the 2022 NFL MVP.
No. 2 for Jefferson? Aaron Rodgers, who was traded in the offseason to the New York Jets and is no longer in the NFC North. That one is hard to argue.
No. 3? Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. The two are former LSU teammates, and Burrow led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988 two seasons ago. He threw for more than 4,400 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
No. 4? Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s as much a threat to run as he is to throw, and was 10th in the NFL in passing yards last season. Hurts accounted for 374 total yards and four touchdowns in the Super Bowl, a loss to the Chiefs.
No. 5? Jefferson picks Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, with Cousins right behind him. Allen threw for more than 4,200 yards, 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season.
A reminder to Vikings’ fans that Cousins threw for more than 4,500 yards (fourth in the NFL last season), 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions all while being sacked a career-high 46 times. He also led the NFL with eight fourth quarter comebacks. So is Jefferson slighting his teammate? Not at all. It’s hard to argue putting any of those quarterbacks behind Cousins.
We’ll get an inside look at Cousins’ time with the Vikings last season as the Netflix docuseries "Quarterback" premieres Wednesday night.