Early in his remarks, Jefferson elaborated on his presence at Organized Team Activity practices this year, it being a voluntary phase of the offseason that he's previously skipped. It was a "no-brainer" to be involved, he said, so that he could connect with several new teammates, including a new quarterback.
"It's not really hard, I would say," Jefferson said of the alternative, which for him has been a later arrival and therefore less hours to get in sync with his offensive teammates ahead of any given season. "I mean, I've done it before. But it's just having a little bit of extra time to really bond with the team, build that connection. And, of course, getting those reps with the quarterback, it makes a big difference.
"I feel like it's more for them than for me," Jefferson continued. "It really doesn't matter who's throwing the ball (no kidding! Jefferson has thrived with a carousel of quarterbacks). As soon as the ball gets close to my face, I'm gonna try to catch it. It doesn't matter how fast the ball is going, the spin of it, or if it's coming from a lefty or a righty. I mean, my job is to catch the ball. So I feel like it's more for the quarterback to see the tempo of the routes, seeing how I run the routes, seeing the different moves that I add to my routes, and I feel like working with that is more of a quarterback thing than a receiver thing."
Jefferson said he's embracing an even larger leadership role in 2025, carrying on a progression that began in Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's first season (2022).
"You know, everybody that knows me knows that growing up I was a more shy guy, more leading by example than by my voice," said Jefferson before shedding awareness of his enormous influence. "So just whenever I have some type of encouraging words, or just have that chance to bring up a team and to break us down, that all makes a difference. And even just being here makes a difference. So it just feels great to be around the team earlier than normal, and \[I'm\] just carrying on that leadership role."