Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson kept pushing teammates and himself - ESPN - Minnesota Vikings Blog- ESPN

EAGAN, Minn. — Late on the morning of June 6, Byron Murphy Jr. looked across the line of scrimmage. The Minnesota Vikings' newest cornerback took immediate measure of the player he was about to spend the next three months competing against.

Justin Jefferson, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, looked back at Murphy. And it was on.

«Right away I was like, 'Oh man, he really is different,» Murphy recalled recently. «There's a reason why he is a 99 overall [on EA Madden]. I just started telling people that going against him is going to get me better every single day.»

From that initial day of minicamp until the end of August, Murphy and Jefferson waged a friendly, competitive and productive battle that portended everything the Vikings hope to be in 2023. Jefferson won his share of matchups, as expected, but Murphy held his own on others and earned enough respect from Jefferson that he excitedly told quarterback Kirk Cousins about it during a training camp conversation.

«We said it at the beginning of us going up against each other,» Jefferson said. «He's learning from me and I'm learning from him. I'm going to get him better and he's going to get me better. Just every single day having that competitiveness in both of us, to want to make each other better. Of course he wants to lock me down. Of course I want to make plays on him. And that's what's going to get us better on Sundays. I'm always going to be that type of guy to always push my teammate to do better and to be better.»

Their summer battles appeared to pay off in Week 1 even as the Vikings lost, 20-17, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jefferson caught nine passes for 150 yards, setting an NFL record for most 150-yard games before the age of 25. Murphy,