Justin Jefferson

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was named the 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year at Thursday's "NFL Honors."

It could end up being one of the richest contracts ever given to a wide receiver. "At this moment, I am just happy to be on this team," Jefferson said. [Patrick Mahomes](/players/patrick-mahomes/). Jefferson also broke Cris Carter's club receptions mark for a season in the same game. Just for good measure, he also caught a two-point conversion, rushed four times for 24 yards and a TD and completed both of his pass attempts for 34 yards, leading the Vikings to a five-win improvement under first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell and the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2019. After all, this is a young man who has yet to turn 24 years old and he's just 610 yards away from passing Pro Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann on the all-time list for receiving yards.

Minnesota's All-Pro wide receiver got 35 first-place votes and earned 192 points, outdistancing runner up Patrick Mahomes by a significant margin. Mahomes ...

Wilson and Gardner are the third teammates to win the offensive and defensive rookie awards in the same season. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback threw for 4,282 yards, 30 TDs and led Seattle to an NFC wild-card berth. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was the Walter Payton Man of the Year. 4 overall pick in the draft, started every game for the Jets. Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Gardner, the No. Kurt Warner was the last to win both the MVP award and Super Bowl following the 1999 season. He is now the head coach of the Texans. He joked that he's ready to start the season now. San Francisco’s All-Pro defensive end received 46 first-place votes after leading the NFL with 18 ½ sacks in the regular season. You think about leading a team and building the culture. Now, he’ll try to break the MVP curse.

The NFL presented its awards for the season at its annual NFL Honors night.

Jefferson is just the fifth wide receiver to win the award after a record-setting third NFL season that also earned him top-5 votes for Most Valuable ...

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for service off the field. In November, Jefferson surpassed the threshold for most receiving yards through a player's first three NFL seasons set by Hall of Famer and former Viking Randy Moss almost 22 years ago. Jefferson is the third Vikings player to win the award in addition to quarterback Fran Tarkenton (1975) and running back Adrian Peterson (2012). Such dominance made him a unanimous first-team All-Pro selection and, at 23, the youngest player to lead the league in both aforementioned statistical categories, a distinction Packers receiver Don Hutson previously held since 1936. "So, to be having this award, it's amazing of all the blessings that I've been getting my whole career. Jefferson received 35 first-place votes and 192 points in the ranked-choice voting system, finishing ahead of Mahomes in second place with 10 first-place votes and 75 points.

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson made one of the best plays of the 2022 season when he went up over coverage to secure a fourth-down pass from Kirk ...

Of course, the best receiver on the field, the best player on the field, I felt like should have got the ball. I wasn’t tripping on it, but of course I would have wanted that opportunity.” Cousins, who was pressured by [Dexter Lawrence](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/51089/dexter-lawrence) on the play, said after the game that he “ [didn’t feel good](https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/01/15/kirk-cousins-didnt-feel-good-about-putting-it-up-to-justin-jefferson-on-final-play/) about putting it up to Justin” because of how much attention the Giants were giving him. “I definitely felt in that moment that I wanted him to do it. Hockenson](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/51527/tj-hockenson) and the Giants brought him down short of the markers to secure a win. “Many moments where Kirk gave me that type of ball and I was able to go up and grab it,” Jefferson said.

All Jefferson did was beat out the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Hurts for the NFL's Offensive Players of the Year.

But Jefferson is either at the peak of his physical skills or very close to it and he refuses to depend on his speed, quickness, leaping ability or hands. Rice is clearly the best receiver in NFL history, and he was impressive through his first three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He may be less likely than many of his peers to suffer the nagging injuries that slow so many players down. However, that appears to be the only reason that could slow down Jefferson because he has so many factors working for him. Does that mean Jefferson is on his way to joining Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, Terrell Owens and Moss at the top of the game’s all-time great receivers? Not only did he have a brilliant season that included 128 receptions for 1,804 yards and 8 touchdowns, he has been a dominant receiver since he was drafted with the No.