Justin Jefferson Makes Honest Admission About Vikings’ 2021 Offense

Vikings star receiver: “We had an old-style offense last year.”

When the Vikings take the field inside U.S. Bank Stadium for during the 2022 NFL season, Minnesota’s offense will not look the same as it did in previous seasons.

Minnesota’s offense, a unit that finished 12th in total offense (362.8 yard per game), 11th in passing yards (249.3), 17th in rushing yards (113.5) and 14th in scoring offense, often looked very predictable during games. Even more, when it came to Minnesota converting on third-down situations, the Vikings finished 26th in the league (36.4%), which played a crucial role in the team finishing 8-9 in the 2021 campaign.

When Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and team president and owner, Mark Wilf, hired former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell in February, they had a vision for him elevating the team’s offense. As the Viking navigate offseason training activities, O’Connell’s vision, one that puts “learning” the why behind the decisions of when to be aggressive and a formula that requires “elite” attention to detail, is taking shape.

And for two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Justin Jefferson, McConnell’s vision is exactly what the unit needed.

“We had an old-style offense last year,” Jefferson told Jori Epstein of USA TODAY Sports. “It’s 2022. You get into a new age and move to a new generation. Adding new things to the offense allows us to be more comfortable with the offense and work in different areas of the fields.”

Jefferson, who enters his third season, set an NFL record for the most receiving yards (3,016) in his first two seasons in the league, surpassing another former LSU standout, Odell Beckham Jr., who recorded 2,755 between the 2014 and 2015 seasons. 

Prior to McConnell joining Minnesota from the Rams, the 37-year-old was a former offensive coordinator for the Commanders in 2019 and served as an assistant with the 49ers and the Browns after his five-year playing career. 

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