Shawn Jefferson
American football player and coach (born 1969)
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Vanchi LaShawn "Shawn" Jefferson Sr. (born February 22, 1969) is an American professional football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the associate head coach and wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2021 to 2022 and also previously served as an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Detroit Lions.
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
| New York Jets | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Wide receivers coach | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | February 22, 1969 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| Position | Wide receiver (No. 80, 84, 87) | ||||||||
| High school | William M. Raines (Jacksonville) | ||||||||
| College | UCF (1987–1990) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1991 (9th round, 240th overall pick) | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
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* Offseason or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
College career
Jefferson played college football at the University of Central Florida.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m) | 169 lb (77 kg) | 30 in (0.76 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.53 s | 1.61 s | 2.66 s | 4.19 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[1] | ||||||||||||
Jefferson was selected by the Houston Oilers in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL draft.[2] In his career, Jefferson appeared in 195 games (along with 12 postseason games), and two Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXIX and Super Bowl XXXI). He finished his career with 470 receptions for 7,023 yards and 29 touchdowns.[3]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1991 | SDG | 16 | 3 | 12 | 125 | 10.4 | 29 | 1 |
| 1992 | SDG | 16 | 1 | 29 | 377 | 13.0 | 51 | 2 |
| 1993 | SDG | 16 | 4 | 30 | 391 | 13.0 | 39 | 2 |
| 1994 | SDG | 16 | 16 | 43 | 627 | 14.6 | 52 | 3 |
| 1995 | SDG | 16 | 15 | 48 | 621 | 12.9 | 45 | 2 |
| 1996 | NWE | 15 | 15 | 50 | 771 | 15.4 | 42 | 4 |
| 1997 | NWE | 16 | 14 | 54 | 841 | 15.6 | 76 | 2 |
| 1998 | NWE | 16 | 16 | 34 | 771 | 22.7 | 61 | 2 |
| 1999 | NWE | 16 | 16 | 40 | 698 | 17.5 | 68 | 6 |
| 2000 | ATL | 16 | 14 | 60 | 822 | 13.7 | 49 | 2 |
| 2001 | ATL | 16 | 6 | 37 | 539 | 14.6 | 48 | 2 |
| 2002 | ATL | 13 | 7 | 27 | 394 | 14.6 | 63 | 1 |
| 2003 | DET | 7 | 3 | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 13 | 0 |
| 195 | 130 | 470 | 7,023 | 14.9 | 76 | 29 | ||
Playoffs
Coaching career
Detroit Lions
In 2006, Jefferson was hired by the Detroit Lions as an offensive assistant. In 2007, he was promoted to wide receivers coach.
Tennessee Titans
In 2013, Jefferson was hired by the Tennessee Titans as their wide receivers coach.[4]
Miami Dolphins
On January 12, 2016, Jefferson was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their wide receivers coach under head coach Adam Gase.[5]
New York Jets
In 2019, Jefferson followed Gase to be his assistant head coach and wide receivers coach with the New York Jets.[6]
Arizona Cardinals
On January 19, 2021, Jefferson was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as their wide receivers coach under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, replacing David Raih. On May 10, 2022, Jefferson was promoted to associate head coach.[7]
Carolina Panthers
On February 19, 2023, the Carolina Panthers hired Jefferson as their wide receivers coach.[8]
New York Jets (second stint)
On January 31 2024, Jefferson was hired by the New York Jets as their wide receivers coach under head coach Robert Saleh.[9] In February 2025, the Jets announced that Jefferson would be retained on the coaching staff of new head coach, Aaron Glenn.[10]
Personal life
Jefferson's son is Van Jefferson, a wide receiver for the Washington Commaders. He played college football at Ole Miss and Florida.[11]