Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson waited until after the 2025 NFL season to at least voice his frustration with how the team handled the QB situation last offseason. However, it could be a motivational factor for J.J. McCarthy.
“Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it,” Jefferson told USA Today. “Having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better.”
The Vikings opted to let Sam Darnold walk in free agency, and now he’s in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Vikings opted to go with McCarthy, whom the Vikings took in the Top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Nonetheless, the move didn’t work out for the team. Furthermore, while the comments could damage McCarthy’s confidence, former NFL player Aqib Talib believes they should have the opposite effect on the Vikings signal-caller.
“I don’t have any problem with it because you always want to take into consideration your teammates,” Talib said on the Feb. 2 edition of The Arena: Gridiron. “But sometimes you can professionally voice your frustration with the organization. No laughed and kind of professionally voiced his frustration with the organization like, ‘I ain’t really agree with that decision they made, but hey, I’m a live with it. I’m going to do what I do.’
“… It might make J.J. lock in more. Sometimes you call somebody out, they lock in more. J.J. might text him, ‘Hey, we are going to get this s— together. Don’t worry about it.’”
Justin Jefferson Urged to Take A.J. Brown Route
Jefferson did make it clear in that interview with USA Today that he has moved on and isn’t dwelling on not having Darnold.
“But it is what it is,” Jefferson added. “It’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year.”
Nonetheless, this approach to the situation is a lifesaver for Minnesota. FS1’s Chris Broussard believes that Jefferson should take a page from Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown when it comes to criticizing the front office over how the play under center is impacting his production.
“The Vikings are lucky Justin Jefferson is a fun‑loving guy, because as much as I criticize A. J. Brown, he could probably use a little bit of A. J. Brown, ” Broussard said on the Feb. 2 edition of “First Things First.” “Not maybe to go that far, but Justin Jefferson would be fully within his rights to be ticked off. This is his career.”
J.J. McCarthy Under Fire After Vikings Fire GM
Moreover, the Jefferson remarks shouldn’t be the only motivator, considering sports media hosts like Jim Rome are blaming McCarthy for getting the general manager fired.
“The truth is, [McCarthy] in and of himself did not get his GM fired,“ Rome said on the Jan. 30 edition of “The Jim Rome Show.” “He didn’t do it alone. Now, he had help, and he had something to do with it, but he had help. Sam Darnold helped. Daniel Jones‘ amazing start to the season helped. Aaron Rodgers leading the Steelers to the playoffs helped.
“So it’s not all on J.J., but it’s mostly on J.J. because the biggest problem facing the Vikings right now is that they still have an uncertain future at quarterback.”
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