EAGAN, Minn. — Whether it's from his gravity-defying catches or his popular rendition of "The Griddy" to celebrate his touchdowns, Justin Jefferson is a fan favorite in today's NFL.
Fans spoke again and again and again in making the third-year Vikings receiver the NFC's top vote getter in 2022 for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games.
Jefferson garnered 264,653 votes from fans, which ranks fourth overall in the NFL.
Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa (306,861) received the most votes. His teammate, receiver Tyreek Hill, garnered 293,679. The speedster was followed by his former QB, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (271,541). After Jefferson, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (248,279) rounded out the top five across the NFL.
Fan votes count one-third toward determining Pro Bowlers. Coaches' votes and players' votes each account for one-third toward the final outcome.
Jefferson currently leads the NFL in receptions (111), receiving yards (1,623) and receiving yards per game (115.9). He is tied for seventh with seven receiving touchdowns and ranks 13th among NFL qualifiers with 14.6 yards per catch.
Against New England on Thanksgiving, Jefferson surpassed former Viking Randy Moss (4,163) for most receiving yards through a players first three seasons and is currently at 4,639 yards. Then at Detroit on Dec. 11, Jefferson had 11 catches for a career-high 223 yards to break Sammy White's franchise regular-season record for receiving yards in a game. White posted 210 as a rookie against Detroit in 1976.
View the best photos of Justin Jefferson during his career-high game of 223 yards and 11 receptions vs. the Detroit Lions on Dec. 11, 2022.
Jefferson also has an opportunity to break more receiving records in the Vikings final three regular season games. He needs 10 yards to break Moss' franchise single-season record of 1,632 and 342 yards to pass former Lions receiver Calvin Johnson (1,964) for the league record in a single season.
He has joined Johnson and Antonio Brown as the only three players in NFL history to post consecutive seasons with at least 1,600 receiving yards.
Jefferson was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 10 and Offensive Player of the Month for November.
Overall, the Vikings ranked second in votes by team, according to the NFL, trailing only San Francisco. Miami, Philadelphia and Kansas City rounded out the top five. The NFL did not release the number of fan votes each team totaled.
Jefferson is about as sure of a lock as can be for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games, but it won't be official until rosters are unveiled Wednesday.
The phenom wasn't the only Viking to lead the NFC among his position group.
Vikings Tops by Position in Fan Votes
Justin Jefferson, Receiver, 264,653
Harrison Smith, Strong Safety, 131,720
Kris Boyd, Special Teams, 110,120
Kene Nwangwu, Return Specialist, 125,869
Andrew DePaola, Long Snapper, 93,948
