Rams receiver Van Jefferson comments on thrilling day for his family

The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl on Sunday, but for wide receiver Van Jefferson, his victories extended off of the field following the game. Jefferson’s wife, Samaria, went into labor during the game and was taken away on a stretcher. Following the conclusion of the game, Jefferson was told that his wife was in labor, and he quickly departed for the hospital.

Jefferson caught four passes on eight targets and 23 yards in the Rams title-clinching victory. And right after Jefferson became a Super Bowl champion, he was able to meet his newborn son.

“It was a great day, bro. I got three prizes today. My wife, my son and the Super Bowl,” Jefferson said, via Around the NFL’s Chase Goodbread.

Jefferson’s wife told the team that she didn’t want him to be informed during the game if she went into labor. She knew that Jefferson would want to leave the field if he found out during the game, but she wanted her husband to continue playing.

“He is going to play. He is going to keep playing,” she said prior to the game. “I said, ‘You play, I’ll see you at the hospital afterwards.’ That’s what it is. I will never take that moment away from him. I want to see him glorify God on the field that day. … Knowing Van and how he is so caring, he just worries so much about me and the kids. … If I did tell him or someone told him during the game, he would come off that field. We’re saying, ‘Hey, you go play. We’ll see you after.'”

Jefferson enjoyed a great season for the Rams this year

The Rams selected Jefferson with the 57th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Florida. As a rookie last season, he caught 19 passes on 31 targets for 220 yards and one touchdown. This season, Jefferson’s role increased by a wide margin.

Opening the season, Jefferson was the Rams’ No. 3 receiver behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. He held onto that role after the team signed Odell Beckham Jr., because Woods tore his ACL days later. Despite being a No. 3 for the majority of the year, Jefferson saw a major uptick in involvement within the team’s offense.

In 17 regular season games, Jefferson caught 50 of his 89 targets for 802 yards and six touchdowns. In four playoff games, Jefferson caught nine of his 17 targets for 102 yards, adding one rushing attempt for 15 yards.