EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota continues to show its talent at receiver.

The Vikings were led in 2024 by wideout duo Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, who combined for 166 catches, 2,408 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to a 14-3 regular-season record. Their yardage total was the league's second most by a pair of receiving teammates behind Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who combined for 2,619 yards. Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams combined for 2,264.

Addison and Jefferson became the first Vikings receiver duo to each record 100-plus receiving yards and two-plus touchdowns in a game when they did so in Week 14 against the Falcons. They were the seventh pair in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

Jefferson's 1,522 yards ranked second in the league behind Chase (1,708), his former LSU teammate, and he finished sixth in catches (103) and tied for sixth in TD receptions (10). He also became the first player in NFL history with more than 7,000 receiving yards in just five seasons.

Jefferson's accolades keep building up, as this year he received his fourth career Pro Bowl nod and second First-Team All-Pro designation by The Associated Press.

Addison missed Weeks 2 and 3 due to injury but otherwise put forth quite the impressive second season in Purple. In addition to his 63 catches for 875 yards and nine receiving touchdowns, he also contributed 20 rushing yards and a rushing score on three carries. That rushing TD against the Packers in Week 4 made Addison just the sixth Vikings WR all-time (and the first since Adam Thielen in 2019) to have a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.

Jalen Nailor recorded career highs in catches (28), yards (414) and touchdowns (6) in his third pro season, during which he provided another valuable target to quarterback Sam Darnold. According to NFL Tru Media, eight of Nailor's catches occurred on third downs, and seven of them converted; of those seven, five gained 16 yards or more.

The Vikings signed Trent Sherfield, Sr., last spring as a free agent, and he contributed both on offense and special teams, the latter of which accounted for 221 of his 400 total snaps. The veteran receiver scored his first touchdown with Minnesota against the Rams in Week 8, hauling in a 10-yard pass from Sam Darnold to take a 14-7 lead in the first quarter. Minnesota unfortunately went on to lose the Thursday Night Football contest, however.

Brandon Powell once again served as the Vikings punt returner in addition to making offensive appearances. The 29-year-old recorded seven catches during the regular season, including a key third-down conversion against the Niners in Week 2; the grab extended a drive later capped by a Will Reichard field goal.

Notable Numbers

162 – Addison racked up a career-high 162 receiving yards in Week 12 at Chicago. His eight-catch, one touchdown outing helped the Vikings defeat the division-rival Bears 30-27 in overtime after losing an 11-point lead held with 1:56 remaining in regulation. During the overtime period and on third-and-10, Darnold found Addison for a 13-yard connection that extended the would-be winning drive.

34 – Jefferson's five games during the 2024 season with at 100-plus receiving yards increased his career total to 34 such games. Against the Rams in Week 8, he recorded 115 yards on eight catches to pass Hall of Famer Randy Moss (30) for the most 100-yard receiving games in a player's first five seasons in NFL history.

44 – Darnold's first completion to a Vikings receiver went to Jefferson for a 44-yard gain. The play occurred late in the first quarter of Minnesota's Week 1 win at the Giants. Darnold's first four completed passes were to fullback C.J. Ham (1), tight end Josh Oliver (1) and running back Ty Chandler (2).

The Highest High

Have a day, Justin Jefferson.

"Jets" took off in Seattle in Week 16, helping the Vikings net a rare road win against the Seahawks. He racked up 10 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns, including a twist-and-grab, 39-yard touchdown between a pair of defenders inside the game's final 4 minutes.

"I'm not gonna say too much about that play, but just something went on to where pretty much me and Sam were on the same page, and [he] just found me and we went up," Jefferson coolly recalled after the rain-soaked game. "[There's] not really a secret to it or a formula. It's all about going out there making plays and executing."

The Lowest Low

Minnesota stared destiny in the face at Detroit's Ford Field but couldn't get it done.

The Vikings in Week 18 had a chance to win the NFC North and secure the No. 1 seed and first-round bye, but their offense just never got going. Darnold struggled to get off accurate passes, and his receivers were unable to make some of the tough catches they had made all season long. Jefferson caught just three of the nine balls thrown his direction by Darnold, finishing the day with 54 receiving yards, and Nailor had three catches on four targets. Addison had just one catch despite Darnold targeting him six times; though several of the QB's passes were off their mark, one end zone throw to Addison in particular seemed like one he'd usually snag. None of the Vikings receivers scored a touchdown against the Lions, and the Vikings ended up Wild Card participants despite a 14-win regular-season finish.

2 Pressing Questions for 2025

1. Will Nailor remain Minnesota's WR3 in 2025?

It's highly unlikely any scenario would disrupt the Vikings top two receiver spots, especially since Jefferson signed a monster extension this past June.

But it will be interesting to see if Nailor remains solidified in the third spot for Minnesota. The Vikings will need to make decisions on free agents Powell and Sherfield, and it seems probable that at least one or two fresh faces join the receivers room. Nailor took a big step forward this past season and flashed significantly on a handful of plays; he wasn't, however, always the most consistent of options in the passing game.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips have expressed confidence in Nailor, and he certainly has garnered the same level of confidence from Jefferson and Addison. Will another spring and summer along those two help the almost-26-year-old make another leap heading into next season? Or will another wideout offer competition?

2. How will defenses defend Jefferson in Season 5

On multiple occasions during the 2024 campaign, Jefferson expressed defenses were covering him in a different way they had in his first four Vikings seasons.

There were moments of understandable frustration on the receiver's part when he faced double or even triple teams that kept him contained. In games at Jacksonville and Chicago, he was limited to just 48 and 27 yards receiving, respectively. The Vikings eked out an ugly 12-7 Week 10 win against the Jaguars after the AFC South team abandoned all tendencies Minnesota had seen on film in order to take Jefferson from the game.

"I would do the same," Jefferson said after Week 11. "It's either let everybody else go off or let Justin go off. I'm going to let everybody else go off. That would be my game plan."

Despite those extra challenges, though, Jefferson in most cases still managed to do what he does best: get open and make plays.

Will defenses across the league try another approach in 2025, or have they done all they can?