Justin Jefferson Discusses Vikings’ QB Direction
The Minnesota Vikings are expected to enter the QB market in the upcoming months to either replace or support J.J. McCarthy, but Justin Jefferson expressed support for McCarthy’s continued development.
Jefferson Addresses Minnesota’s QB Situation
Jefferson has fully taken over as the Vikings’ leader, as he’s taking his captain’s badge more seriously than most others. He has said the right thing all season despite the offensive struggles, but rather than acting like a classic diva receiver, he’s been a true professional. That’s been shown by receiving the Korey Stringer Media Good Guy Award on Thursday.
After accepting the award, he answered questions. One of which was about the future of Minnesota’s QB position. His response was quite clear.
“That’s not my job. Of course, I would love for [J.J. McCarthy] to be here, of course, I would love for him to be the quarterback, especially off of this year. I feel like he needs to show everybody and prove to everybody that he is that top-tier quarterback. So I would love to have him and love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy.”
McCarthy was drafted to be “that No. 1 guy,” but has only rarely looked like it throughout his first season as a starter after missing his entire rookie season. It should be noted, though, that Jefferson backed Sam Darnold at the end of last year and Kirk Cousins after the 2023 season.
“I feel like it starts in the offseason, starts (with) that offseason work and building that connection, eliminating those habits that he had that we felt hindered him throughout the season,” Jefferson added. “He’s still young. He still has learning to do and growing to do. That’s all part of the game. But it’s up to me to require more from him and work with him more.”
Jefferson and McCarthy attended a Timberwolves game last offseason, and they had some throwing sessions together. Ultimately, it hasn’t consistently clicked yet. Though it’s generally easy to throw the ball to an elite wideout, if that guy is double-teamed all game, the calculation changes.
McCarthy is indeed still young, at 22. He could still develop into Minnesota’s franchise quarterback, and it doesn’t sound like Jefferson is ready to concede.
Despite his loyalty, he surely hasn’t had the season he had hoped for with only 947 yards through the club’s first 16 games. In the season finale, he needs another 53 yards to become just the third player in NFL history (Randy Moss and Mike Evans) with 1,000 yards in each of the first six seasons.
In the offseason, the Vikings could acquire a veteran backup like Joe Flacco or Marcus Mariota to keep the offense going in case of another McCarthy injury or on-field struggles. Perhaps Kyler Murray could benefit from a fresh start in the Twin Cities and officially compete with the 2024 first-rounder.
On Sunday, the duo has one more chance to show their connection in a meaningless game against Green Bay that is expected to rest several starters. McCarthy has been dealing with a hand injury since the Giants game a couple of weeks ago, but he returned to practice in full capacity on Thursday.
The QB position will be the hot topic in the Vikings’ universe.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.