Van Jefferson

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For his father, Vanchi Jefferson, see Shawn Jefferson.

Van Jefferson
Jefferson with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020
No. 11 – Tennessee Titans
PositionWide receiver
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (1996-07-26) July 26, 1996 (age 29)
Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolRavenwood (Brentwood)
College
NFL draft2020: 2nd round, 57th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2025
Receptions151
Receiving yards2,043
Receiving touchdowns12
Stats at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Coaching profile at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Vanchi LaShawn Jefferson Jr. (born July 26, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and Florida Gators and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. Jefferson won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams during the 2021 season. He has also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early life

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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]

College career

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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]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wonderlic
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m)		 200 lb
(91 kg)		 32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m)		 9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 12
All values from NFL Combine[14]

Los Angeles Rams

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Jefferson lining up in the slot during a game with Cooper Kupp on the right and Kamren Curl in the middle.

Jefferson was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round with the 57th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[15] The Rams previously traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans to acquire the pick.[16] In Week 11 of the 2020 season, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he recorded his first professional receiving touchdown.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19] He finished the regular season with 50 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns.[20] 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.[21]

On September 24, 2022, Jefferson was placed on injured reserve.[22] He was designated to return from injured reserve on October 24, 2022, and activated for Week 8.[23] On December 8, 2022, Jefferson caught the game winning touchdown pass from newly signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to beat the Las Vegas Raiders.[24]

Atlanta Falcons

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On October 10, 2023, Jefferson was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a swap of 2025 late round picks.[25]

Jefferson played 12 games for the Falcons, totalling 12 receptions for 101 yards.[26] Jefferson saw only 27% of the offensive snaps in his first outing with the team in 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.[27]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On March 18, 2024, Jefferson signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[28]

Jefferson finished the regular season making 24 total receptions for 276 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers finished 10-7 and entered the playoffs as the sixth seeded team in the AFC.[29]

During the wild card round, Jefferson caught one touchdown pass on a pass from Russell Wilson as the Steelers lost 14-28 to the Baltimore Ravens.[30]

Tennessee Titans

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On March 14, 2025, Jefferson signed with the Tennessee Titans on a one-year, $2.5 million contract.[31]

Jefferson began the preseason as a starter, listed as the third wide receiver on the depth chart.[32] He caught three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in the final preseason game, a 23-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.[33] Jefferson, however, began the regular season as the fourth wide receiver on the roster behind rookie Elic Ayomanor.[34]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2020 LAR 16 0 19 220 11.6 31 1 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 0 0
2021 LAR 17 17 50 802 16.0 79T 6 2 20 10.0 10 0 0 0
2022 LAR 11 9 24 369 15.4 39 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2023 LAR 5 4 8 108 13.5 46 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0
ATL 12 5 12 101 8.4 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2024 PIT 17 12 24 276 11.5 43 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 78 47 137 1,876 13.7 79T 12 4 23 5.8 10 0 0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2020 LAR 2 1 6 46 7.7 16 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2021 LAR 4 4 9 102 11.3 41 0 1 15 15.0 15 0 0 0
2024 PIT 1 1 2 37 18.5 30T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 7 6 17 185 10.9 41 2 1 15 15.0 15 0 0 0

Personal life

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Jefferson is the son of New York Jets wide receiver coach and former wide receivers Shawn Jefferson.[35]

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.[36]

References

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