After the regular season of 2020, there were two players competing for the Rookie of the Year award: Justin Herbert and Justin Jefferson. Herbert won the prize on Thursday after an impressive rookie campaign, where he pitched for 4336 yards, 31 TDs and just 10 INTs, completing 66.6% of his passes.
Herbert entered the season that he hoped would be Tyrod Taylor’s backup, but those plans changed when a team doctor inadvertently punctured Taylor’s lung during a pre-game procedure. The rest was history while Herbert set a series of QB records for beginners, including passing touchdowns (31) and total touchdowns (36).
Although his season is certainly worthy of recognition, it is a pity that the award was not for Justin Jefferson. Of course, this is a prize voted by fans, so the most popular player will always win. It’s simple, a quarterback will win a popularity contest.
That said, Jefferson didn’t just have one of the best rookie seasons for a wide receiver, he was one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL in 2020. Jefferson broke the NFL rookie receiving yard record and placed fourth in the classification the entire league.
It is also notable that his production was done alongside another Pro Bowl receiver in Adam Thielen and the All-Pro runner Dalvin Cook. Not to mention, he really only put his production through the final 14 games of the season due to being listed on the WR3 in the first two games.
There is still a chance for Jefferson to come home with some hardware this season, as the AP’s offensive and defensive Rookies of the Year will be announced Saturday night at the NFL Honors presentation.
