Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson dealt with subpar quarterback play for virtually all of last season. Now that the team has brought in Kyler Murray to play the position, he sounds much more optimistic.
Jefferson spoke Monday about the team’s decision to bring in Murray after JJ McCarthy struggled mightily last season. The star wide receiver was excited about Murray’s playmaking ability, and was even more ruthless toward McCarthy.
“I’m definitely looking for those big, exciting plays [from Murray ],” Jefferson said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “I’m definitely looking forward to his speed, his quickness, his arm strength that he’s shown countless times over the years.
“And then for JJ, for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability, that type of talent, he’s got to step it up a little bit. So it’s good for him to feel that type of pressure and to really lock in a little bit and say, ‘It’s either now or I’m going to take that back seat again.’ So it’s all a competitive mindset when it comes to these type of things. So it’s all about who’s ready for that moment and who’s ready to step up and take that initiative.”
Jefferson probably didn’t mean to speak negatively of McCarthy, but his feelings are pretty clear here. Talking about the need to step it up and feel pressure certainly suggests that Jefferson believes McCarthy did not have to fight for his job hard enough last season.
While Jefferson has been a good teammate about the situation, he has also made it very clear that he was not thrilled with the team’s decision to let Sam Darnold walk and what it led to last season. The wide receiver’s production fell to a career-low 1,048 passing yards last season amid the inconsistent quarterback play. He will be hoping and expecting Murray to get things back on track in 2026.
