Justin Jefferson Opens Up About Watching Sam Darnold Make Super Bowl Run: ‘It’s Tough’

While Jefferson struggled through the ‘25 season with three different quarterbacks, Darnold led the Seahawks to Super Bowl LX.

Darnold and the Seahawks defeated Jefferson and the Vikings 26–0 in Week 13. | Jane Gershovich / Getty Images

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson had one of the better years of his career in 2024 catching passes from quarterback Sam Darnold. One year later, after the quarterback chose to sign with the Seahawks in free agency, Darnold has led Seattle to Super Bowl LX.

Jefferson, meanwhile, will be watching the Super Bowl from home after he posted career lows all across the board in 2025 with former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer handling the quarterback duties in Minnesota.

In a recent interview with USA Today, Jefferson was asked what it’s been like for him watching Darnold lead the Seahawks to football’s biggest stage.

“It’s definitely tough,” Jefferson said. “It’s tough to watch. I love that he’s in the Super Bowl. I’m happy for him. I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way that his journey was at first—people doubting him and people not giving him respect. Now they’re giving him that respect; they’re seeing his a top-tier quarterback in this league.

“Of course, selfishly, I wish he could’ve done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I’m happy for him. I hope he wins. I’m rooting for Seattle, and I think Seattle is going to win.”

Jefferson entered the year averaging 96.5 receiving yards per game across his first five NFL seasons. In 2025, that number shrunk to 61.6 yards per game as first-year starter McCarthy and undrafted rookie Brosmer in particular struggled to get him the football.

One year after ranking sixth in passing (237.8 yards per game) and ninth in scoring (25.4 points per game) with Darnold at quarterback in 2024, the Vikings slumped to 29th in passing (166.7 yards) and 26th in scoring (20.2) in ‘25.

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Jefferson gave a refreshingly honest answer when asked if Minnesota’s ‘25 campaign would’ve gone better had they retained Darnold at quarterback instead of handing the keys to the offense to McCarthy.

“Yeah, for sure. Definitely,” Jefferson said. “Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year of how we was dealt it. Of course, having a quarterback already [with] a season under his belt with us—knew the players, knew the playbook—... I definitely felt like we would’ve done better. It is what it is.”

The Vikings finished the season 9–8 and missed the playoffs. On Friday, they fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

What Justin Jefferson has said about J.J. McCarthy

Jefferson’s latest comments about Darnold presented without context might sound like a shot at McCarthy, who the Vikings selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft and have crowned as the franchise quarterback. However, Jefferson has been consistent all year on his thoughts about McCarthy.

McCarthy struggled to stay on the field, missing seven games due to injury. When he did play, the Michigan product was inconsistent and didn’t come close to having the Vikings’ offense humming like Darnold did in ‘24. Jefferson was asked about McCarthy’s development seemingly every week of the season and repeatedly backed the young quarterback in interviews.

“Of course I would love for him to be here,” Jefferson said back in early January. “Of course I would love for him to be the quarterback. Especially off 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. I would love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy."

As it stands Saturday, Jefferson will be heading into the 2026 season with McCarthy as his quarterback. And Darnold is certainly hoping he’ll head into the ‘26 campaign with a Super Bowl ring on his finger.

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