EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Justin Jefferson began developing his exceptional pass-catching skills as the youngest of three boys in a football-loving family in the New Orleans area, before following both of his older brothers to LSU a little more than an hour up the road.
Jefferson is headed home this weekend with the Minnesota Vikings, just the second time he'll face the Saints in the Superdome in his seven-year NFL career. The sprained ankle that sidelined
him in the first quarter at Tampa Bay on Sept. 27 and last week against Miami will be hard-pressed to keep him out again on Sunday.
“Being back at home in Louisiana is definitely something that I wanted to do, so the plan is for me to play, but who knows? We’ve got to take it a day at a time,” said Jefferson, who was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday after being held off the field for the entirety of the previous week.
The Vikings most recently played in New Orleans on Dec. 25, 2020, when pandemic conditions limited attendance that afternoon to 3,000 and the Saints romped to a 52-33 victory near the end of a promising but frustrating rookie season for Jefferson.
This time, the Vikings will take a 4-0 record and a brighter outlook to the other end of the Mississippi River.
“It’s definitely been a long time coming, to be able to get back home in front of my friends and family,” said Jefferson, who had six catches for 85 yards in New Orleans in 2020. “Definitely got a lot of people tuning into that game, and hopefully I’ll be able to give them a show.”
This trip also comes with an unexpected bonus: Odell Beckham Jr.
The 33-year-old signed with the Vikings this week to add some depth for a lagging passing attack, with Jefferson on the mend and Jordan Addison also working through a strained hamstring that kept him out of practice on Wednesday.
Beckham is not only a fellow former LSU wide receiver but a close friend of the Jefferson family, having been a freshman on the 2011 team when Jordan Jefferson — Justin's oldest brother — was a senior quarterback.
“It's pretty special to be able to be here with him,” said Beckham, joking that he chose jersey No. 9 because Jefferson — who wears No. 18 — learned half of his game from him. “He’s been like family to me for a long time.”
Jefferson sure won't dispute Beckham's influence on his career, from his youthful awe of watching Beckham try to perfect his one-handed catches at LSU practices to modeling the “wiggle” Beckham uses at the top of his routes to create space from defenders.
For Beckham, there's no guarantee the Vikings will choose to promote him from the practice squad and use him in the game on Sunday, even though he confidently said he'd be ready to go. Either way, the trip will spark nostalgia for him, too, as a native of Baton Rouge born to two LSU athletes.
Beckham moved to New Orleans for high school, playing at Isidore Newman, where the Manning brothers went before him. Jefferson, who was born in St. Rose, played at Destrehan High School, a suburb about 20 miles up the river.
The Vikings have their bye week after this, which would double the recovery time for Jefferson if he were to be held out once more as a precaution, but neither the team nor the player said the schedule would factor into the decision about his status on Sunday.
“I hate missing games. I wanted to be out there last week, especially at home,” Jefferson said. “I never want to miss any time, so it’s been a little tough.”
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