Jeffers attended Fort Worth Country Day School, where he was a two-time All-conference selection, playing as a wide receiver, cornerback, free safety, punter, placekicker.
[1] As a rookie, he was used mostly on special teams, appearing in the first three games, before being declared inactive for the next 12 and playing again in the season finale against the San Diego Chargers.
[3] In 1998, Jeffers spent the first half of the season learning the Dallas Cowboys offense and playing mainly on the scout team.
He was declared a restricted free agent at the end of the season and although he was seen as a player on the rise, the Cowboys gambled and tendered him a qualifying offer at his original draft round.
The Carolina Panthers signed him to a one-year offer sheet for a $1.2 million base salary,[5] that the Cowboys did not to match.
The team received a fifth round pick as compensation, that was eventually used to trade up to select Ebenezer Ekuban.
[6] Jeffers' new contract made him the highest paid wide receiver on the Carolina Panthers roster, but he still had to work his way into the starting lineup.
[7] He also set several franchise records: On August 10, 2000, he was lost for the year after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament, while playing in a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.