{"id":212327,"date":"2025-07-16T19:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T19:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/212327\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T19:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T19:34:11","slug":"justin-jefferson-seriously-eyeing-olympic-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/212327\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Jefferson seriously eyeing Olympic gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Vikings<\/a> superstar Justin Jefferson<\/a> has never been shy about dreaming big. Now, with the NFL greenlighting player participation In flag football for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Jefferson is daring to dream even bigger, winning a gold medal for Team USA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a wide-ranging conversation<\/a> with Yahoo Sports\u2019 Jason Fitz, Jefferson opened up about his offseason focu<\/a>s, developing chemistry with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and how head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell continues to fuel Minnesota\u2019s offensive firepower. But his Olympic aspirations stole the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s always been a dream and something that I always wanted to accomplish,\u201d Jefferson shared. \u201cStanding on that stage and getting that gold medal, and just to be an Olympian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson and the NFL could dominate the 2028 Olympics\"MinnesotaMark Hoffman\/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The NFL\u2019s 32 team owners recently voted unanimously to allow active players to compete in Olympic flag football, marking a significant shift in the sport\u2019s global expansion. Jefferson, serving as a global flag ambassador, was instrumental in advocating for the measure. After the vote passed, he capped off his excitement<\/a> with an \u201cOlympic Griddy\u201d dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal is a dream, just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal,\u201d Jefferson said to ESPN.\u00a0 \u201cThat’s something that, as a kid, I always wanted to be a part of, but football wasn’t global. So now that we’re expanding the game and we’re going more global, it’s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Jefferson acknowledged the uncertainties. With three full NFL seasons ahead, the physical toll could affect his availability.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, getting older, the body is going to be different, but that’s definitely always been a dream,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cIt’s always been something I’ve always wanted to do, compete for your country versus all of the other countries in the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Logistical hurdles remain, including aligning the Olympic calendar with NFL training camps and negotiating participation terms with the NFLPA and international bodies. But Jefferson\u2019s enthusiasm highlights the broader excitement sweeping the league.<\/p>\n

For Vikings fans, Jefferson\u2019s Olympic ambition isn\u2019t just about medals. It\u2019s about showcasing one of the NFL\u2019s brightest stars on the world\u2019s biggest stage. And if he does make it to L.A. in 2028, don\u2019t be surprised if Jefferson’s Griddy becomes a global celebration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson has never been shy about dreaming big. Now, with the NFL greenlighting player…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[7,2780,233,259,2529,6,8259,20468,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-212327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-justin-jefferson","10":"tag-minnesota","11":"tag-minnesota-vikings","12":"tag-minnesotavikings","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-olympics","15":"tag-team-usa","16":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114864591440019941","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}