Ahead of offseason QB drama, Jefferson publicly backs McCarthy once more

Justin Jefferson would love to see J.J. McCarthy return as the Vikings' quarterback and take big steps forward in 2026.

Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates with quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) after a Vikings touchdown during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Another offseason filled with rumors and speculation surrounding the Vikings' quarterback position is right around the corner. That's just the inevitable reality created by J.J. McCarthy's injuries and poor performance in 2025, paired with the fact that Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are going into year five still seeking their first playoff victory.

But before the offseason begins, the Vikings' best player — who stands to be affected most by the team's quarterback decisions — took one more chance to put his public support behind Minnesota's 22-year-old QB.

"That's not my job," Justin Jefferson said of determining McCarthy's future. "Of course I would love for him 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."

All throughout a difficult year, Jefferson has said the right things and shown his support for McCarthy, even as the young QB's immense struggles led to the quietest statistical season of Jefferson's career. The two have had a bizarrely tough time establishing a connection, so that'll be an offseason priority.

"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 said. "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."

McCarthy is on track to make his tenth and final start of the season this Sunday against the Packers. It'll be another opportunity for him to build on the recent success he had in games against the Commanders, Cowboys, and Giants before suffering his third injury of 2025. It'll be one more chance for him to make the case that he should be the Vikings' starter again next year despite being perhaps the worst regular quarterback in the NFL this season (he was dead last in EPA/play among 36 QBs with at least 250 dropbacks).

At the very least, Adofo-Mensah and company are going to bring in a veteran option who can push McCarthy and provide a capable floor as a backup. There's also the possibility that they go big-game hunting at QB or draft another one early. Nothing is off the table.

Jefferson reflects, looks ahead to final game

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It's been a trying season for everyone in Minnesota. That's especially true for Jefferson, who didn't nearly have the kind of individual season he's accustomed to having. But he handled it the right way all year, which is part of the reason why Vikings beat writers voted him as the winner of the Korey Stringer Media Good Guy award for the second time in his career.

Jefferson hates that he's headed into his seventh NFL season and doesn't have a playoff win, but he believes this year can be used as a learning experience moving forward.

"I feel like there's a lot of things to take from this year," he said. "I had to learn myself, how to be patient, how to not really show my emotions. To lead as a captain of this team. It's definitely things that I can take from this year going forward.

"But I would say just requiring more from everybody. We ain't trying to have this type of season again. And I feel like the guys that's on this team understand how to not have this type of season again. Just requiring more from everybody, requiring more from J.J., getting with him during the offseason and building on that connection, that's something that we gotta grow on."

In the meantime, there's one game left to play. Jefferson is 53 yards away from reaching 1,000 for the sixth straight year, so that'll be a priority of Sunday's game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings also have a chance to end the season with five straight wins and finish above .500.

"Let it all out, give it my all," Jefferson said. "Last game of the season, last opportunity to get 1,000 yards, last opportunity to get a win for our fans, a divisional win at that. Of course I want to leave this year off with a good note, having five straight wins at the end of the season, to have a good taste in our mouth going into next season.

"But it's really just to go out there and just have fun. This is going to be our last opportunity with this exact team, with all of these players. So just going out there and having that kid mindset, having fun. Taking in the moment."