Justin Jefferson Reaffirms Support for J.J. McCarthy Amid Vikings QB Uncertainty

Despite extending his streak of 1,000-yard seasons to six to begin his career, Justin Jefferson found 2025 to be the most difficult season of his career. A year that was meant to be a promising beginning of the J.J. McCarthy era instead became a referendum on the organization's choice to move on from Sam Darnold last offseason. That was a decision that backfired as Minnesota missed the playoffs after McCarthy struggled, while Darnold led the Seahawks to a No. 1 seed in the NFC and will compete in the Super Bowl this Sunday.

With that said, Jefferson remains outwardly confident in McCarthy and continues to back the Vikings' young quarterback for the future.

"If you look at the film, you look at the things that he's done. He's done very good things," Jefferson said on Wednesday's Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams. "Obviously, it wasn't the most spectacular thing. Those are things that he understands and we all understand as a building that there are some things to work on. But J.J. is a really good quarterback. He's a really good guy personally to sit there and talk to and he's a great leader, a great motivator."

Jefferson showed rare moments of public frustration this season as McCarthy struggled to live up to the 'franchise quarterback' billing head coach Kevin O'Connell bestowed upon him in August 2024. The star receiver recorded just three 100-yard games in 2025 — two of which came with Carson Wentz at quarterback — and snuck over the 1,000-yard mark on the final day of the season, as he and McCarthy struggled to form an on-field connection.

Now, with the organization publicly saying they're looking to bring in a veteran to compete with him, McCarthy is looking at a precarious future as the team's starting quarterback. When asked whether he's going to be vocal about who he wants as quarterback, Jefferson noted that's not his job.

"Oh no, I'm going to let it happen," Jefferson said. "I don't need to show it either. I'm not going to be posting on Instagram and social media."

When pressed about who he wants throwing him the ball in 2026, Jefferson refused to rock the boat.

"I don't care," responded Jefferson. "That's not my decision. I don't care who's throwing me that ball. That's not my main priority. And I've said that multiple times. I don't really care who's going to be throwing that ball, but that person that's throwing that ball needs to throw that ball and needs to lead us into that big dance at the end of the season. As of right now, J.J. is my quarterback. So for me, it's to get him to where we need to go. It starts off right now in the offseason and getting better right now."

Justin Jefferson | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

When asked if there was more he could have done this past season, Jefferson pointed to holding more people accountable to live up to the expectations he has of the Vikings. Jefferson claimed he "will not let that type of season happen again."

Jefferson said that "of course" he plans on getting together with McCarthy this offseason, adding, "If I want things to change, if that's going to be my quarterback, of course, I got to hold some type of accountability."

Since the end of the season, there has been plenty of speculation about who the Vikings could target as a QB addition this offseason. That speculation has included links to Jefferson's college QB, Joe Burrow, among other top possibilities. When asked about Burrow, Jefferson spoke glowingly, but understood that his comments carried weight and refused to take the focus away from who his current quarterback is.

"I mean, that's always going to be my guy. I love Joe. I always love how he plays, how he anticipates the game, how he carries himself. Everything about Joe, I love Joe. But that's not my quarterback. As of now, it's about getting J.J. right and getting him to where we need to go."

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