| Van Jefferson | |
| Current Team: | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Number: | 11 |
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Birth Date: | 26 July 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 1 |
| Weight Lb: | 200 |
| Draftyear: | 2020 |
| Draftround: | 2 |
| Draftpick: | 57 |
| Pastteams: |
|
| Status: | Active |
| Highlights: | |
| Statleague: | NFL |
| Statseason: | 2023 |
| Statlabel1: | Receptions |
| Statvalue1: | 113 |
| Statlabel2: | Receiving yards |
| Statvalue2: | 1,600 |
| Statlabel3: | Receiving touchdowns |
| Statvalue3: | 10 |
| Pfr: | J/JeffVa00 |
Vanchi LaShawn Jefferson Jr. (born July 26, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss and Florida and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Born and raised in Brentwood, Tennessee, Jefferson attended Ravenwood High School.[1] [2] As a junior, he caught 87 passes for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a senior, he was named first team All-State after recording 67 receptions for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns. He initially committed to play college football at Georgia.[3] However, he de-committed in January of his senior year and flipped his commitment to Ole Miss, choosing the Rebels over offers from Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.[4]
In 2015, Jefferson redshirted his true freshman season at Ole Miss. In 2016, as a redshirt freshman, he had 49 catches for 543 yards and three touchdowns.[5] [6] Jefferson finished his redshirt sophomore season with 42 receptions for 456 yards and one touchdown.[7] Following the 2017 season, Jefferson announced his intent to transfer from Ole Miss after the program was sanctioned by the NCAA, ultimately choosing to continue his collegiate career at Florida.[8]
Jefferson was granted immediate eligibility to play for Florida after transferring after receiving waivers from the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[9] In 2018, his first season with the Gators, he led the team with 35 receptions, 503 receiving yards, and six touchdown receptions.[10] As a senior, he caught 49 passes for 657 yards and six touchdowns.[11] He caught six passes for 129 yards against Virginia in the 2019 Orange Bowl, his final career game.[12] Jefferson finished his collegiate career with 175 receptions for 2,159 yards and 16 touchdowns in 45 games played.[13]
Jefferson was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round with the 57th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[14] The Rams previously traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans to acquire the pick.[15] In Week 11 of the 2020 season, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he recorded his first professional receiving touchdown.[16] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, Jefferson recorded 6 catches for 46 yards and his first playoff touchdown during the 32–18 loss.[17]
In 2021, Jefferson saw an increase in production playing under new Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and in light of a season-ending injury to teammate Robert Woods.[18] He finished the regular season with 50 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns.[19] Jefferson became a Super Bowl champion when the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 in Super Bowl LVI. In the Super Bowl, Jefferson recorded four catches for 23 yards.[20]
On September 24, 2022, Jefferson was placed on injured reserve.[21] He was designated to return from injured reserve on October 24, 2022, and activated for Week 8.[22] On December 8, 2022, Jefferson caught the game winning touchdown pass from newly signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to beat the Las Vegas Raiders.[23]
On October 10, 2023, Jefferson was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a swap of 2025 late round picks.[24]
Jefferson played 12 games for the Falcons, totalling 12 receptions for 101 yards and 0 touchdowns.[25] Jefferson saw only 27% of the offensive snaps in his first outing with the team on week 6, but saw a significant uptick playing 49% and 71% of offensive snaps the following two weeks before going on to average 39% of offensive snaps the remainder of his tenure.[26]
On March 18, 2024, Jefferson signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[27]
Jefferson is the son of New York Jets wide receiver coach and former wide receiver Shawn Jefferson.[28]
Jefferson has a daughter and three sons. His second son was born on February 13, 2022, after Jefferson's wife, Samaria Jefferson, went into labor during Super Bowl LVI.[29]