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Justin Jefferson ‘excited’ to play for offensive-minded coach with Minnesota Vikings
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Justin Jefferson is off to a brilliant start for his NFL career, but entering his third season, he’ll have a new head coach with the Minnesota Vikings. This time around, the Vikings will be led by an offensive-minded coach in Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell has worked his way up the NFL ladder, serving as an offensive coordinator for the Washington Football Team and the Los Angeles Rams. O’Connell cannot be officially hired until after the Super Bowl with the Rams looking for a win over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Though his hiring is not official, Jefferson admitted to watching O’Connell’s offense with the Rams. After playing under a defensive-minded coach in Mike Zimmer, Jefferson is excited to see what O’Connell can bring to the table.
“I’ve been watching the Rams’ offense for a minute now,’’ Jefferson said, according to Chris Tomasson with Pioneer Press. “They get their playmakers the ball. They have some tremendous plays, Cooper Kupp wide open all the time. So I’m excited for it. This is my first head coach that’s going to be on the offensive side instead of the defensive side, so I’m happy.”
Even with a defensive-minded head coach, Jefferson set career-highs and led the Vikings with 108 catches for 1,616 yards in 2021. Jefferson also set a career-high in touchdowns and tied for the team lead with 10.
With back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons to begin his NFL career, the prospect of Jefferson getting even better is truly terrifying for opposing defenders.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
