By: Lindsey Young

"It forms unity," Elaine explained. "When you think about it, our sons are like family. Those are their brothers in that locker room. … So it was, 'How do we bring the families together?' If our sons are going to be like brothers, we can all be like family. That's something I'm passionate about."

It's a deep-seeded priority for Elaine, who grew up in an athletic family herself and then brought up three sons — Jordan, Rickey and Justin — with her husband John.

Though she's long had a career, Elaine's favorite title has always been "Mom."

Justin was always a "very independent child" who insisted he could do everything on his own, she noted of the now-25-year-old. At 3, he'd accompany Rickey to football practice and follow along with the drills.

"He thought he was part of that team, even though he wasn't old enough," Elaine said. "He always wanted to be a student of the game. He'd watch film of his favorite players. He loved 'Madden' and acted like he was the actual players.

"He's always had a huge passion for sports and did everything that he could to improve himself … which is the same thing he does today," she added. "He always wants to be the best, and he has a very great work ethic."

It wasn't always football, though. Justin found time for other things, as well, including singing with Elaine.

Music became their thing, mom and son, though Elaine claims only one of them can carry a tune.

"He can sing, and I can't," she laughed. "We would sing around the house, and we have a lot of family gatherings … and would get up there and act silly and sing together, but he really has a nice voice.

"Ask him to sing something," Elaine tells me. "He'll probably be a little shy, but he's not too shy."

Justin — who last season traveled to Rome with Elaine — has historically been the quieter, more reserved of her sons, though. She hasn't always seen the side of him starring in Super Bowl commercials and attending the Met Gala, posing for Vogue.

"At home, he's Justin. We don't have 'Jets.' We have Justin," Elaine laughed. "What you guys see is Jets. At home, he's still that, 'Oh, you better get that trash outside. You better get those dishes.' … I'm like, 'Momma don't play that [celebrity game].' "

Growing up in the Jones household, everything was a competition.

Board games, chores, pickup basketball in the driveway, you name it — Aaron and his twin brother Alvin turned everything into a contest.

All four siblings were competitive, and all were close to their late father, Alvin, Sr., and Vurgess, both United States servicemembers. Each child also had their individual characteristics; asked about Aaron, Vurgess smiled warmly.

"Aaron is the more patient one, the more helpful one. He's very kind," she said. "He was very competitive. And he's always worked hard.

"He liked to make things," Vurgess added. "To bake, to make smoothies. Like, for Christmas he wanted a blender. He wanted stuff you could make things with."

She noted Aaron "wanted to just be around the soldiers" on the military base, looking up to the men and women who worked with his parents.

"Family time was very important to us," Vurgess said. "We would just get together and have pizza on Fridays, have movie nights, and just cuddle together."

Aaron also discovered at a young age a love for giving back — and that his heart for helping others mirrored his mom's. From volunteering at marathons to serving at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, Aaron and Vurgess connected on a deeper level while making an impact.

"I realized that was my joy, and I could see firsthand that was my mom's joy," he said. "Lifting others up, using our platform and opportunity."

Teri Hockenson has played plenty of backyard football over the years.

Oftentimes, to the point her hand got sore from throwing so many passes to her son T.J. and catching the powerful passes he fired back.

"I remember one time, it was, like, the fifth day in a row that I was like, 'Ma, can we play catch?' " T.J. recounted. "Her hand's starting to hurt, I was really chucking them at her, and she's starting to get upset. And she goes, 'You just remember me when you make it big you know?' "

Now standing 6-foot-5 and entering his seventh NFL season, T.J. smiles at the memory.

"She's back at my house right now. Visiting," he says. "And yeah, that's always stuck with me. My mom's played such a big role in everything I've done. She's gone to every game since I was 5, 6 years old. She's been there for me every step of the way."

Being a mom means more than anything to Teri, who had T.J.'s older brothers, Andy and Matt, early on in her marriage. She and her husband Tod hoped for a third child, but that didn't seem to be in the cards for the Hockensons. Until 10 years later, when T.J. came along. And 18 months later, his sister Kelsey.

"When we got pregnant with T.J. and found out we were going to have a boy, Andy and Matt told us, 'Well, you have to name him a sports name,' " Teri said. "The initials stand for Thomas James, after my brothers … but he was always going to go by T.J., because his brothers wanted a 'sports name.' "

T.J. never had a choice but to love athletics, Teri jokes. He was born into it.

"Andy and Matt were playing ball with him before he could probably even sit up — they'd just throw the ball at him," she quipped.

One afternoon when T.J. was 3 years old, she had to soothe him because he felt left out by the group of teenage football players out back.

"He's crying because they wouldn't throw him the football, and I say to my sons, 'You really can't just give him the ball?' And they said, 'No, Mom. He can play with us, we'll play with him, but we're not giving him any special treatment. He's got to play by our rules, and he's got to get in and get the ball.'

"That's a little aggressive, you know?" Teri added with a chuckle. "But those are the dynamics he grew up in."

Listening to Teri talk about T.J.'s football journey, it's impossible to miss the pride in her voice. And 24 years after wiping his tears that day, it's Teri whose eyes glisten on game days at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"It's emotional watching them run out of that tunnel," she said. "You know this is what they've worked so hard for. Worked their whole lives for."

Teri, Vurgess and Elaine all have different backgrounds.

They grew up in different places, experienced different dynamics and took different paths to where they are now.

And yet, the three have so much in common when it comes to being boy moms. NFL moms. Vikings Moms.

During the back-to-school community shopping spree last September, Elaine spotted Justin in an ad at SCHEELS: a large, glossy photograph that featured the receiver posing in polarized black shades hung above a rack of Oakley sunglasses. Tough to miss.

Elaine lit up. Not in a way that suggested ego or "old hat," though. Rather, you'd have thought she'd been strolling through an elementary school hallway and located her youngster's classroom artwork.

And within seconds, other Vikings Moms huddled around her to share in the excitement.

"Oooh, that's your baby!" Jordan Addison's mother Keisha gushed.

An excited hum of affirmations followed.

"We celebrate each other's children," Vurgess said. "This group of women, they're amazing. In our chat group, they're cheering for one another. It's so positive, so rewarding, so encouraging. You can't help but love it."

Elaine self identifies — and rightly so — as Justin's biggest fan. But she's nearly as big a fan of Aaron, T.J. or any other guys on the team.

"If I see Justin's picture in a magazine, I've gotta go buy 10 magazines. A T-shirt? I've gotta get 10 shirts. I am that momma. His friends will laugh at me like, 'I know Elaine's gonna get that.' 'Yes, baby, I am. And if you see one, pick it up for me.' Because I am still that momma," Elaine laughed. "And the thing I love about the Vikings Moms, the families, is everybody wants to see everybody succeed.

"At this level, you can have drama, animosity — you can have a lot of that among each other. But the way those guys rally together and support one another, and it's not just on the field, it's with the families, too," she continued. "If there's anyone [facing a challenge], we will all come together and put our heads together, like, 'How can we help?' "

It's that mindset that kicked in following Justin's 2020 rookie season in Minnesota.

Due to guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Elaine and other players' parents engaged very little with one another and weren't able to attend games in-person. So when the stadium re-opened to fans that following season, several mothers found themselves asking questions about game-day process or other situations.

That's when Elaine stepped in. Why? She points to her parents, who raised her to be humble, to be a helper.

"So with the moms, 'If I can do something for you, if I can put a smile on your face, help you navigate coming to the Vikings, you know, we've been here for years and can tell people ins and outs, and I'm going to do that.' It's just in my DNA," Elaine said. "That's where my joy comes from."

Vikings Senior Manager of Family Engagement Quinn Gjersvig highlighted the impact Elaine has made.

"That year (2021) we started a mother and mother figures reception, aligned it with Rookie Weekend, and we had about 40 moms attend, which was amazing," Quinn said. "It was an opportunity for them to network, but also for me to touch base so that they can feel empowered on game day … and supported from a team perspective. I work very closely with the partners and spouses of our players, but we definitely had a gap in some of those parent or guardian relationships."

Elaine's efforts have complemented Quinn's to create a true support network, reflected in the Vikings A-plus grade in the NFLPA Report Card "treatment of families" section.

"And what's really cool about it is that now some of our 'tenured' moms like Teri and Elaine and Ms. Jones, they really take our rookies' mothers under their wings," Quinn said. "It's special for them to be able to connect, especially after being in the league after a few seasons. They can join together and relate with one another."

When the Vikings acquired T.J. via trade halfway through the 2022 season, Teri immediately felt welcomed to the team by Elaine. And when Minnesota signed Aaron as a free agent prior to the 2024 campaign, Vurgess experienced similar sentiments.

"As soon as Aaron signed and we came with him to Minnesota, Quinn gave me Elaine's number, and I communicated with her immediately," she said. "So when I first met her, actually at the back-to-school event, it was as if I already knew her. We had already developed a relationship.

"Aaron met Ms. Elaine even before I did, because when Justin signed his extension, Aaron called me, 'Ma, I met Jefferson's mom. She's so much like you. She reminds me just of you,' " Vurgess recounted. "I mean, she's down to earth, and she gets it. It doesn't matter that her son is a superstar; she's down to earth, she's there for us, and she's just a wonderful, beautiful person through and through."

Teri echoed sentiments on the genuine environment Elaine helps foster.

"It just warms my heart; everyone is so friendly. It's so welcoming," she said.

Aaron, T.J. and Justin are thankful watching their moms build friendships amongst each other the way they have — and they're equally grateful to have gained "adoptive moms," as well.

"It's really cool because they see how close we are; we're brothers, and so we all become their 'sons,' too," T.J. said.

"Luckily, my mom goes to every game, but after seeing her I'll also find Mrs. Jefferson and give her a hug, and she'll give me some encouraging words," Aaron said. "Or I'll see Mrs. Hockenson and same thing, she'll give me a hug, tell me 'good game.' It's that family bond they've built.

"It's special here," he added. "If I needed anything, if my mom wasn't here and I needed, you know, a hug? Somebody to talk to? Justin's mom is right there. I need a home-cooked meal? She's right there. I get excited to see Elaine as if I'm seeing my mom. Because I know she cares for me like she cares for her sons."

Because at the end of the day, that's just what moms do. And the Vikings Moms? They do it all as family.

"We're all protective," Elaine said, smiling. "We don't care whose son it is, everybody just comes together. That's how it is here. And that's what makes it so special."