After letting Sam Darnold walk last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings took a gamble that J.J. McCarthy could be their quarterback going forward. However, that decision hasn’t gone as planned for the Vikings, as questions remain about McCarthy.
The Vikings have an offense that should be looking to contend right now with weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and even T.J. Hockenson. Nonetheless, after Darnold left for the Seattle Seahawks, Daniel Jones sought an opportunity that led him to join the Indianapolis Colts.
With the Vikings having a question mark at quarterback and Jefferson still in his prime, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN said he wouldn’t blame the Minnesota star if he wanted out.
“I wouldn’t blame Justin Jefferson if he has to be traded,” Smith said on the November 27 edition of “First Take.” I’m disgusted with the Minnesota Vikings… But [Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] and Kevin O’Connell made a joint decision, and they miscalculated.
“I understand why. Because Sam Darnold was a free agent. You had him on a one-year, $10 million deal. You’re looking to move on because this brother played so well for the most part last year that he was going to position himself to at least triple his salary. And that’s exactly what he did.”
Justin Jefferson Should Be Upset at the Vikings
Moreover, Smith notes that Minnesota are running the risk of wasting multiple years of Jefferson’s prime as arguably the best receiver in the NFL due to the uncertain situation at quarterback and letting Darnold leave.
“We understand that there’s reluctance on [the] part of any NFL team to make that investment because that’s money with a hard cap system that you could utilize and allocate elsewhere,” Smith added. “I got that. But here’s my problem. This is Justin Jefferson, you all. This is an all-world receiver.
“The first five years of his NFL career, we weren’t talking about him being great. We were talking legacy. We were talking about whether or not he was going to be in that conversation with the Jerry Rice, the Randy Moss, and others of the world.
“All I’m saying is that that’s the level of greatness we’re talking about. What you don’t do with somebody like that is take away their damn quarterback. For a rookie that is unproven, you don’t do that. That’s my issue with Minnesota.”
Justin Jefferson Talks Sam Darnold Ahead of Week 13 Game
Ahead of the game on November 30, the Vikings wideout spoke with the media on November 26 and shared his thoughts on his former teammate having success in Year 1 with Seattle.
“He’s definitely balling,” Jefferson said of Darnold’s 2025 season. “It’s hard to miss it when the number one receiver is at the top in the NFL. He’s been killing it. Some people might mention the bad games he’s had, but overall, he’s leading his teams to victories. It will be tough to win in their home environment. We need to lock in, execute our plays on all three phases, and come out with the win.”
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