The jersey edits of Justin Jefferson in a different team’s colors came pouring in on social media following the Minnesota Vikings‘ season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

It’s the fleeting pipedream that every fan base is afforded before we’re reminded of the type of person Jefferson is.

Last year the trade pitches for Jefferson had some roots in reality. He hadn’t signed a new contract. Minnesota missed the playoffs and had no clear future at quarterback.

However, after signing a four-year, $140 million contract with $110 million guaranteed, Jefferson understands his role as a leader and is firmly where his feet are.

During locker room cleanout on January 15, Jefferson took questions about his thoughts on his future with the Vikings after a first-round playoff exit.

“As a team what we have done and the foundation that we have started is something we got to keep for down the line, especially with me. I have a new contract, 3-4 more years on that contract,” Jefferson said. “I’m locked in and gonna be here for those years.”

After an undefeated run to a national championship in his senior year at LSU, Jefferson has witnessed how hard it is to win at the next level. The 25-year-old phenom has the most receiving yards (7,432) by any player in their first five seasons but has yet to experience an NFL playoff win, going 0-2 in the postseason.

But, being the ultra-competitor that he is, Jefferson has his eyes forward — not elsewhere.

“Looking forward to what we have coming up,” Jefferson said. “Looking forward to the new team we’re gonna have, the new players were gonna have on the team.”

Justin Jefferson Addresses the Vikings’ Dilemma: Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy

While the Vikings fell short of their ultimate goal, this season was largely a success considering they were projected to win 6.5 games with Sam Darnold under center.

Minnesota greatly exceeded expectations. Credit to Darnold, the Vikings’ roster and coaching staff.

However, the Vikings have a decision ahead: whether to keep Darnold or pivot to a plan that ends with J.J. McCarthy taking over as starter for the foreseeable future.

Jefferson likened the situation to last year, when Kirk Cousins was a pending free agent.

When asked for his opinion on who the Vikings should move forward with, Jefferson stood by his take from a year ago: it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball.

“It’s the same type of situation last year, I didn’t know who was my quarterback, and I really didn’t care at the end of the day,” Jefferson said postgame after the Rams loss. “I always say that I’m confident in myself to go out there and still perform the same way I’ve been performing. But it’s not my job to say who’s going to be the quarterback, who I want to be the quarterback. At the end of the day, they’re going to figure it out, and whoever they decide to go with we’re going to work with that.”

Justin Jefferson Grows as Vikings Leader

As Jefferson took over as the highest-paid player in the Vikings organization last summer, he bore new responsibilities to set an example for the rest of the team.

He embraced the role and grew as a leader, building up Darnold through the highs and lows of an NFL season.

“This is something that I’ve been waiting for and now being the leader of this team and carrying myself a different way,” Jefferson said in June after his contract extension was finalized. “I’m gonna be on everyone, but I’m gonna be on everyone hard and I’m gonna make sure that I’m the leader of this team, and we’re working to where we want to go, which is a world championship.”