The Vikings receiver has launched himself into record books and imaginations with a combination of grit, grace and the Griddy.
In the first two decades they spent watching their three sons play football, John and Elaine Jefferson rarely had to consider whether they would tolerate cold weather: Their boys' games were hardly ever outside the South.
Their older sons, Jordan and Rickey, earned scholarships to Louisiana State. Jordan started a national championship game at quarterback, and Rickey was a good-enough cornerback to get preseason stints with the Raiders and Saints. But neither played an NFL game.
By the time their youngest son, Justin, became a Vikings first-round pick in 2020, the Jeffersons knew how many talented football players never reach the sport's pinnacle.