Vikings WR Justin Jefferson continues to be massively underrated and it's baffling at this point

Let's make it perfectly clear: Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the National Football League.

It's a take that many have had over the last few years, and they are all correct. His performance against every team in the NFL has been tremendous, setting records left and right.

Even though it's widely believed that Jefferson is the best receiver in football, that is not the opinion of Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema , who had him at number two behind A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jefferson has been in the conversation for the league’s best receiver since his rookie season. Over the past three years, the Vikings star ranks second among all wideouts in cumulative WAR (1.66) and also holds the second-best per-season WAR average (0.55).

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson remains underrated

Let's start with the breakdown Sikkema has of Brown.

Brown dominates defensive backs across the board, but his success against single coverage is especially notable. He earned the highest receiving grade versus single coverage in 2024 (96.6) and leads the league in that category over the past three seasons (2022–24) with a 97.0 grade. He can win in every way, against any defense.

Sikkema is using stats and underlying metrics to make his case. Sure, we can go that direction, but if you do, Jefferson is either is the best or right at the top of nearly every metric. 

When you look at a player's first five seasons in the National Football League, Jefferson has the most receptions (495) and yards (7,432) of every player in NFL history, and he missed seven games in 2023. 

Once you get past the metrics, the on-field performance needs to come into play. The first thing that stands out is Jefferson's route running, where he is arguably the best in the entire league.

It's not just the smooth movement skills and the hands to snatch the ball out of the air at the apex, it's the little things. The head and shoulder fakes to deke out the defensive back are tremendous. He adds those layers of subtlety throughout all of his routes.

Not to mention, Jefferson has a flare for the dramatic. Remember his catch against the Buffalo Bills? You could genuinely argue that it's a top-five greatest catch in NFL history.

Jefferson might not be the biggest talker, get the most touchdowns, or be a physically imposing player. What he does do is everything boring at an extremely high level, while being a great athlete and has a tremendous flair with his movement skills.

Listen, Brown is great, but he's not Jefferson. Second isn't good enough anymore, he's the best there is.