Justin Jefferson Announces Move Away From Vikings After Setting Record Straight of Ditching JJ McCarthy

As Tre Brooks, a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan, drove his then 7- and 12-year-old sons to DeLaSalle High School, he wondered what the camp would be like. That was 2022, when Justin Jefferson, with the help of Hard Count Athletics, hosted his very first Youth Football Camp. The proud father would sit in the bleachers on a sunny, 82-degree evening and watch his sons run deep routes, leap, twist in the air, catch the ball, and then land in the grass. According to Brooks, the learning opportunity from their idol in Jefferson, whom, until then, they had only seen on TV, was huge in what was “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The young aspirants would interact with Justin and celebrate their wins as the WR would yell with happiness, “Now let’s see that Griddy!” The kids would put the ball on the field and break into a celebratory dance. No doubt, they had practiced it before. Since then, there have been multiple iterations of the same, with Jefferson showing his passion to share his knowledge with the young, talented boys and girls through 10th grade. Three years later, Jefferson will repeat the same as he announced the latest update on the 5v5 flag football tournaments.

After hosting the Hard Count Athletics Camp earlier this month in San Diego, which hosted 300+ kids in San Diego each day, the Vikings WR and 2x NFL All-Pro, Justin Jefferson, is all set for another unforgettable football experience at US Bank Stadium in Minnesota. Besides showing off your skills for the Hard Count National Champ crown, they’ll be getting on-field instruction/interaction directly from Jefferson, exclusive Viking Locker Room Tour, small group photos with the 25-year-old wideout, and even a limited-edition Jefferson camp shirt. And if you’re lucky, you might just get to meet some of the biggest NFL names. Dolphins‘ Tyreek Hill, Titans‘ Tony Pollard, and Cowboys‘ CeeDee Lamb have all been spotted in the past. Come Monday, Jefferson took to his official Instagram handle and shared a post to announce the deadline to register for the camp.

“[There] are only a few spots left make sure you go sign up ASAP to get a spot at: www.hardcountathletics.com SIGN UP!!!!” Jefferson captioned the post. The camp is scheduled for Wednesday, May 24, 2025, and the boys and girls from grades 1st to 9th (age 8 to 16) have until May 18 to register. The venue is the Vikings Practice Facility at Eagan, Minnesota.

Meanwhile, if reports are true, there has been some constant chit-chat about Jefferson getting some offers.

Ja’Marr Chase asked Justin Jefferson to reunite with him

When you talk about Justin Jefferson, you’re talking about a 25-year-old who’s been lighting up the league with 1,000+ yard seasons ever since he hit the pros. With nearly 500 career receptions and 7,432 yards, Jefferson is clearly one of the top wideouts out there. But before he made his mark with the Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft, he was one of Joe Burrow‘s go-to guys at LSU.

And if you think Jefferson was the only one Burrow was targeting, think again. He wasn’t alone out there. Jefferson was dodging defenders alongside his LSU teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, and together, they combined for a wild 195 receptions in the 2019 season. Thanks to Burrow throwing those laser-like passes, they became one of the most dangerous pass-catching duos in college football history.

Now that the NFL offseason is at its peak, Chase and Jefferson took a little detour from the NFL to play some Call of Duty with the former Bengals’ WR Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. But in between the game, the Bengals‘ wide receiver tried his best to lure Jefferson to the Bengals’ offense. Then, he told Johnson, “Hey, hey, Chad. I could get Justin to come to the Bengals, y’all.”

See, Chase just inked a massive four-year $161 million contract extension, and he has become a central figure in Cincy. So him asking Jefferson to join the Bengals doesn’t sound that odd. But Jefferson’s response? Well, the Vikings’ WR is in no mood to ditch his second-year QB, JJ McCarthy. Not right now. “No, you can’t,” Jefferson declined Chase’s demand. Just like that.

At the end of the day, it’s safe to say that Chase-Jefferson reunion is staying in the LSU highlight reels for now. But Justin, until the season begins, would impart his knowledge to the talented stars in the making.