The Sneaky Good Justin Jefferson News for the Minnesota Vikings
There’s some fear that the Vikings’ 2025 is going so poorly that the Vikings’ 2026 won’t have Justin Jefferson on the roster. Maybe that’s true, but it does look unlikely.
Proceed under the assumption that (somehow) the concerns get figured out. Mr. Jefferson sticks around in the Twin Cities, committing to at least one more season. The Vikings can unlock the league’s best receiver if the team gets only average quarterback play rather than historically-bad play. What occurs if the team starts getting above-average or (gasp) elite play at quarterback?
On WR1 Justin Jefferson & The Good News
The thinking comes back to what has occurred in 2025.
By a Minnesota mile, Carson Wentz has been the Vikings’ best quarterback. He operated within a range of below average to above average. So, he was average overall, essentially all a team can ask for from a journeyman backup who got signed toward the end of August. Seeing Wentz play for the entire season could very well have led to a playoff push alongside some sizzling Jefferson numbers.
Consider what Justin Jefferson‘s statistics would look like based on his per-game averages for the trio of quarterbacks: J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer.
Essentially, all that has been done is add up all of the stats for Jefferson alongside each separate passer. Boil things down using division to get to a per-game average in three basic stat categories for an NFL receiver. These per-game averages then get multiplied by seventeen to get a sense of what the season could have featured had the averages held. Check it out:
- Jefferson w/ McCarthy: 74 catches, 901 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
- Jefferson w/ Wentz: 116 catches, 1,622 yards, and 0 touchdowns.
- Jefferson w/ Brosmer: 34 catches, 68 yards, 0 touchdowns.
One need not see be the second coming of Bill Parcells to figure out what’s been best for Mr. Jefferson: working alongside a somewhat competent veteran.
Now, there’s no QB partnership that sees the touchdowns at an acceptable level. Jefferson should see his scores up into the double digits, hitting 10 (and maybe even pushing further). Moreover, there’s at least some merit within the reminder that Brosmer’s sample size is the definition of small; one assumes (perhaps foolishly) that thing would improve with a larger cluster of games.
But then it’s the Wentz numbers that look the most promising. Easily clearing 100 catches while getting past 1,600 yards is precisely where Jefferson ought to be. Anything less is a disappointment for a receiver so sensational, for a playmaker with abilities so elite.
In a perfect world, McCarthy will become that quarterback. For the remainder of 2025 and (more importantly) in 2026, McCarthy getting up to average or better would mean that Minnesota can build around the No. 10 selection. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson gets to feast.
Or, at least, there could just be a humdrum addition. Even Carson Wentz, folks, could produce at a level where Justin Jefferson can play like an All Pro. Just an average veteran means an elite Jefferson. Not a bad tidbit, right?
No shortage of chatter out there about making a move for Mac Jones. Perhaps there could be a re-addition of Kirk Cousins (read more). Carson Wentz could get added yet again. There could be any number of options who provide veteran competence as Minnesota hopes that the ultra-talented McCarthy figures it out.
In short, sell the reasonably frustrated Jefferson on the reality that things are going to get figured out. The Wentz experience proves as much.
Justin Jefferson, 26, remains the cornerstone player on Minnesota’s roster. Just give him an average quarterback and he’s going to be excellent. That’s good news.
