Is Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson a bounce-back candidate in 2024? Pro Football Network’s Nick Faria believes so.

Career lows in receptions and yards due to injuries put Jefferson on this list, even with a new staring quarterback.

Becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback also makes his bounce-back season even more important.

It’s a fascinating idea to call Jefferson a bounce-back candidate. Sure, he played in just 10 games due to a hamstring injury and left another due to internal bleeding suffered after a hit against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings ended up going 7-10 and certainly could have used him in multiple games down the stretch.

However, the notion that Jefferson had a down season, what the article insinuates, is flat-out wrong. He caught 68 passes for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. In fact, Jefferson became the third player ever to record over 1,000 receiving yards in just 10 games.

Is that enough to call Jefferson a bounce-back player when he was playing at an All-Pro level before missing time? Not exactly. Having a bounce-back year is when you improve from a year that wasn’t very good. Jefferson was still great in the 10 games he played in for the Vikings.

Who on the Vikings would qualify? The best answer is likely kick returner Kene Nwangwu, who had the lowest kick return average in his career at 25.3 yards. You could also consider Jalen Nailor, as he missed a lot of time due to injury in 2023.

But Jefferson? No, it doesn’t fit.

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