Justin Jefferson's favorite NFL quarterback may not play for the Vikings.
Jefferson has caught passes from Kirk Cousins and Joe Burrow in his pro and college careers, respectively, but there are marked differences between the two, according to the wideout.
During an appearance on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, the soon-to-be sophomore receiver spoke of those differences and also offered up a slight criticism of Cousins:
Justin Jefferson isn’t seeing a single target next season pic.twitter.com/pq5Gpx9r4U
— Connor Allen (@ConnorAllenNFL) May 11, 2021
First, he listed the similarities between the quarterbacks:
Kirk and Joe throw similar balls. They're not the strongest-armed, but they're going to get it to you exactly where you need it — where you need them to throw it.
And then, scaling the turnbuckle to drop an elbow from the top rope, Jefferson offered the differences between the two:
The thing about Joe that's a little bit different, Joe, I feel like Joe had that — a little bit more swagger. He has that confidence on the field. He's not scared to get hit, and I feel like, as a quarterback, that's a big trait to have, especially to be as young as he is. He's a phenomenal quarterback.
At best, Jefferson's analysis is a backhanded compliment to Cousins, and at worst, he's slyly questioning Cousins' on-field confidence, which is certainly something.
2021 SCHEDULES: Vikings | Bengals
Cowherd went on to ask Jefferson if he was surprised by Minnesota's reported interest in Justin Fields during the 2021 NFL Draft. Jefferson replied, "No"; the Vikings have to prepare for life after Cousins at some point, so why not have a dynamic playmaker like Fields?
The Vikings just missed out on the Ohio State passer, who went 11th to Chicago. They opted to draft Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond in the third round, instead.
Burrow authored one of college football's most impressive offensive seasons in 2019 en route to the Heisman Trophy and a national championship at LSU with Jefferson. Both Burrow (first overall) and Jefferson (22nd) were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Burrow was having a solid rookie season with the Bengals before a knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Jefferson had a monster rookie season catching passes from Cousins (1,400 yards, seven touchdowns).
Cousins has had overblown issues with wide receivers in the past — Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are the most high-profile — so maybe Jefferson is just stepping into a rite of passage to becoming a true Vikings pass catcher.
