Justin Jefferson, Of All People, Is A Big Justin Fields Fan

Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the NFL. At least most prominent experts would agree on that point. Only Ja'Marr Chase and Tyreek Hill have a case for challenging him. So it's always interesting to hear what somebody of such high stature has to say. He certainly made waves this past week when he revealed his list of top five quarterbacks in the NFL. It had some obvious choices, including Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. However, he caused a small controversy when he left Kirk Cousins, his own quarterback on the Minnesota Vikings, off the list.

Guess they can say the guy keeps it real. He doesn't play favorite. That made his statement on The Herd with Colin Cowherd so interesting. Remaining on the topic of quarterbacks, Cowherd inevitably brought up Justin Fields. It makes sense. Jefferson has seen the former 1st round pick multiple times during the Vikings' frequent battles with the Chicago Bears. One would think the receiver has a somewhat lukewarm opinion of Fields at best. It turns out the opposite is true. Jefferson is an admirer.

Justin Jefferson seems to appreciate Fields' versatility.

Winning from the pocket is vital in the NFL. Everybody knows that. However, modern quarterbacks are facing defenses that are faster than ever. So the best countermeasure is having a QB that can move. Mahomes is one example. So are Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. Fields has the same capability. His speed is superior to everybody in the league not named Lamar Jackson, and he has an arm that can make any throw in the playbook. While his passing numbers aren't at the same level as those top guys, it doesn't seem to bother Jefferson.

That might be because he thinks Fields hasn't had any receivers of his caliber. He'd been throwing to mostly scrubs for the past two years. Almost any quarterback will struggle if he doesn't have guys that can go get the football. Justin Jefferson made it pretty obvious how much he thinks Cousins determines his success as a receiver. While the passing numbers might not be close at this stage, statements like this indicate he sees Fields approaching that level in the near future.