Justin Jefferson ranks his top 5 NFL QB's, with a surprising omission

This week, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson ranked his top five quarterbacks in the NFL. However, he left one surprising name off the list.

Jefferson listed his quarterbacks while in Brazil, putting together his top five ahead of the 2023 season. It’s, naturally, an impressive list of names. But fans were surprised the former LSU star left off his own quarterback.

Here’s Jefferson’s full list, which didn’t include Kirk Cousins.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

But fans were still surprised Cousins was left off the list. The four-time Pro Bowler put together a strong 2022 season as he threw for 4,547 yards — his highest total since 2016 when he threw for 4,917 yards for Washington. That earned him his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl and helped the Vikings win the NFC North with a 13-4 record.

All five of Jefferson’s quarterbacks have one thing in common, though. They’ve all finished in the top five in the MVP voting the last two years. Rodgers won the award in 2021 — his second straight year bringing home the honor. Mahomes won it in 2022 as Hurts, Allen and Burrow finished Nos. 2-4 in voting, respectively. Cousins has never gotten an MVP vote.

Cousins and Jefferson have developed quite the connection with the Vikings since Minnesota drafted him No. 22 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. This past season, Jefferson totaled a career-high 1,809 yards as Cousins’ top target to put him in position for a potential contract extension.

However, talks appeared to stall over the offseason, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler addressed the possible hurdles standing in the way of getting a deal done.

“Talking about receivers, you see Justin Jefferson there. Could be big money on the way at some point,” Fowler said last month. “The Vikings believe he’s a cornerstone player. Best wide receiver in the league. They want to sign him to an extension at some point.

“Two potential hurdles in the way though. He’s only three years in to a rookie deal that has two years left with a fifth-year option. There’s no major rush to do it right now. And then the market for receivers, you’re looking at around $30 million or more. Tyreek Hill makes $30 million a year on a big deal, so they might need to make Justin Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. So those are some hurdles, but certainly the Vikings want to do it at some point. Jefferson is expected an training camp regardless.”