Justin Jefferson has set the bar for himself so high that even when it felt like he was having a “down” year in 2024, he was still spectacular.
The fifth-year wideout finished second in the league with 1,533 yards and ten touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Pro honors for the second time in three seasons under Kevin O’Connell. This was with Sam Darnold throwing him the ball after spending his first four years primarily catching passes from Kirk Cousins.
There was little fanfare about Jefferson potentially winning the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award, but he did receive some votes. He finished seventh in voting with 27 points. Voting was on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale, where first place was worth ten points, second place was worth five, etc.
Jefferson had to fight through some rough stretches during the season, getting held to two catches for 27 yards at Soldier Field and five receptions for 48 yards against the Jaguars.
His 90.2 yards per game were his lowest since 2020, his rookie season. However, that again shows how good Jefferson is. That mark throughout a career would still be the highest in NFL history (he’s the current all-time leader with 96.5 yards per game. Ja’Marr Chase is second with 87.5 yards per game).
Although Jefferson received no first or second-place votes, he received 14 overall votes. Saquon Barkley, ahem, ran away with the award with 406 points. Lamar Jackson finished a distant second with 183 points.
Jefferson did win the award in 2022 after catching 128 passes for 1,809 yards, both of which led the league. Could he threaten to win the award again with J.J. McCarthy throwing him passes in 2025 and beyond?