The Atlanta Falcons added a new weapon on Tuesday, acquiring Van Jefferson in a trade with the Rams. The fourth-year receiver has spent his entire NFL career in Los Angeles, but never as the team’s main focal point.
Jefferson had a great year in 2021, but he was unable to match that production during his other seasons with the Rams. Ultimately, this trade is a low-risk, high-reward move for Atlanta, and the former second-round pick still has some upside.
Buy Falcons TicketsHere’s our year-by-year breakdown of Jefferson’s NFL career thus far.
2020 season
Jefferson played in all 16 games of his rookie season, recording at least one target in all but two outings. He finished the year with 19 catches, 220 receiving yards and one touchdown.
| Team | Targets | Rec | Yards | TDs | ADOT |
| Rams | 28 | 19 | 220 | 1 | 11.5 |
Jefferson played just 23 percent of the Rams’ offensive snaps during his rookie season.
2021 season
Jefferson had a breakout season in 2021 when Matthew Stafford came to Los Angeles via trade. The second-year receiver out of Florida posted career numbers in receiving yards, touchdowns, and basically all major stats.
| Team | Targets | Rec | Yards | TDs | ADOT |
| Rams | 86 | 50 | 802 | 6 | 14.0 |
Jefferson played 80 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2021.
2022 season
Jefferson missed the first seven weeks of the 2022 season and failed to record a reception until his third game back. The former Gators wideout had two knee operations that offseason, which hindered his ability to build on his 2021 campaign.
| Team | Targets | Rec | Yards | TDs | ADOT |
| Rams | 44 | 24 | 369 | 3 | 16.6 |
Jefferson’s catch percentage dropped for the third year in a row, this time down to just 54.5 percent.
2023 season
Prior to joining the Falcons, Jefferson was having a quiet season in Los Angeles. The receiver was targeted just 15 times through the first five weeks, pulling in eight catches. The emergence of Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell, along with the return of Cooper Kupp in Week 5, left Jefferson as the odd man out in the Rams offense.
| Team | Targets | Rec | Yards | TDs | ADOT |
| Rams | 15 | 8 | 110 | 0 | 18.0 |
