Featured Posts | Vikings

By Judd Zulgad |

Justin Jefferson says he “ain’t no diva” in response to clip of him yelling at Kirk Cousins

Bears Vikings Football
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson runs up field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Justin Jefferson was not made available during the Vikings’ postgame video conferences Sunday, but the rookie wide receiver wanted to make one thing clear to everyone after Minnesota’s 33-27 loss to the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. “Y’all love blowing stuff out of proportion,” Jefferson tweeted. “And I ain’t no diva … don’t get it twisted.”

Jefferson was referring to the below sequence late in the second quarter when he clearly yelled at Kirk Cousins after the quarterback threw an incompletion his way in the end zone. What you can make out from the on-field microphones is Jefferson using a popular four-letter word and his quarterback’s name. A few reports say his next words were “Come on. Throw the ball!”

If you listen closely, however, it doesn’t sound as if Jefferson says ball and rather might have said flag. Either way, it’s clear he wasn’t pleased with Cousins. On the next play, Cousins found Irv Smith Jr. for what should have been a touchdown but the tight end dropped the ball in the end zone. Dan Bailey kicked a 24-yard field goal on fourth down and the Vikings trailed 20-10 at halftime.

Jefferson’s frustration was understandable.

A leading contender to be the NFL’s Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jefferson had only four catches for 39 yards in last Sunday’s loss in Tampa Bay and then had three receptions for 41 yards in the first half against the Bears. He finished the game with eight catches (on 11 targets) for 104 yards.

That gives him 73 receptions this season, the most by a Vikings rookie. Randy Moss held the record with 69 catches in 1998. Jefferson, the 22nd pick in the draft last April, has 1,182 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games.

The Vikings selected Jefferson with a pick they obtained from Buffalo in a trade that sent standout wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills. Diggs forced his way out of Minnesota because he wasn’t happy with how the Vikings ran their offense. He is clearly very happy with how the Bills go about their business.

Diggs had 11 receptions (13 targets ) for 147 yards in the Bills’ 48-19 victory over Denver on Saturday. That gave Buffalo its first AFC East title since 1995. Diggs has an NFL-leading 111 catches for 1,314 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. He has been targeted 147 times in working with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. Last season, Diggs had 63 catches (94 targets) for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games with the Vikings.