Vikings’ Justin Jefferson just 235 yards away from passing rival Bears’ all-time leading receiver

Justin Jefferson, a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, has had a productive NFL career despite its relative youth. The graduate of LSU has the most receptions in the league (128), the most receiving yards (1,809), and the most touchdowns (8) in his third year in the league. After his career season, Jefferson was voted the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and it’s possible that he hasn’t even reached his full potential yet.

There is one fact about Jefferson that was brought to my attention by @JanikEckardt on Twitter, and it is just mind-blowing: Only 235 yards separate Jefferson from passing the all-time receiving yardage record held by the Chicago Bears, Jefferson’s main opponent.

It’s no joke. Johnny Morris, who played for Chicago from 1958 through 1967, holds the record for most receptions in franchise history. He finished his career with the Bears having racked up 5,059 receiving yards after playing in 121 games. Jefferson has played in 50 career regular-season games for the Vikings, and during that time he has accumulated 4,825 receiving yards. In addition to this, he has racked up more than 100 receiving yards in 24 of his 50 games played.

In the most recent season, Jefferson surpassed fellow Vikings great Randy Moss to become the player in NFL history to record the most receiving yards in a player’s first three seasons. There have been a total of six games played versus the Bears, which have resulted in a total of 41 receptions, 585 receiving yards, and two scores for the receiver.