Among all the records that exist in the NFL, 2,000 yards in a single season stands out among the crowd. There have only been eight running backs in league history to accumulate 2,000 yards on the ground in a single season. Hitting that benchmark presents multiple rewards coming in various forms like nicknames (CJ2K for Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson), a new contract, hardware (Offensive Player of the Year and MVP awards), and immortality (four of the eight are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Adrian Peterson a lock to join that group one day). Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson announced to Twin Cities local media at the end of July that he thinks he can be the first at his position to total 2,000 receiving yards in a single campaign.
“I hope so,” Jefferson told the Pioneer Press on July 25. “I think I can. Hopefully, everything goes right and I can get that 2,000 [receiving yards]. That’s my goal. That would be big, just breaking the record my rookie year [most receiving yards by a rookie] and then breaking a record in my third year, that would be crazy for me. That’s going to be a goal for me, for sure.”
His confidence isn’t unfounded. Jefferson leads the NFL with 3,016 receiving yards over the past two seasons since being selected 22nd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. This represents the most receiving yards in a player’s first two seasons in NFL history. His 196 career catches are tied for the most in a player’s first two seasons in NFL history with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (2016-17). Jefferson needs 1,148 yards in 2022 to set the NFL record for the most in a player’s first three NFL seasons, a record set by another Vikings wide receiver, Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who had 4,163 receiving yards from 1998-2000.
Most receiving yards since 2020
* 2020 was Justin Jefferson’s rookie season
Jefferson has been the featured target in Minnesota, having been thrown to on 27.5% of his team’s pass attempts since 2020 with only new Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams (29.7) and Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs (27.7) having a higher percentage in the span of Jefferson’s career. With a career yards-per-catch average of 15.4, the highest in the NFL since 2020 among players with a minimum of 150 catches, Jefferson would need about 130 receptions this upcoming season if he were to post that as his 2022 figure. His current career high is…
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