The Minnesota Vikings have their new quarterback of the future in J.J. McCarthy.
They hope to keep him surrounded with the kind of infrastructure that led to some lofty sentiments from the top quarterback prospects in the class. A “key piece” of that is wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
“Surreal, honestly. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones. The big boys: Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill – I just met him uh earlier – Garrett Bradberry. All great pieces. There’s so many more that I could sit up here and just list all of them. But a lot of great pieces that make this organization what it is, and Justin is just a key part of that,” McCarthy said during his introductory press conference on April 26.
“He already let me know, ‘I go by Jets,’ so we don’t get any confusion there. But yeah, it’ll be great to get that connection going with all the guys, and he’s definitely a key piece to that.”
Jefferson is on track to play the 2024 season on his fifth-year option barring a contract extension and has been absent from OTAs, though he was in Minnesota last week. Despite that, Jefferson made sure to make contact with McCarthy.
Justin Jefferson’s Future Vikings’ Next Big Order of Business
GettyJustin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jefferson has long maintained that he wanted to get something done long-term with Minnesota. But there remains uncertainty about his future as long as he remains unsigned beyond the 2024 season.
The Vikings still have the franchise tag at their disposal if they cannot reach a long-term agreement, a resource they can tap into up to three years in a row.
A long-term deal now could help avoid future salary cap constraints and tension.
Jefferson helped fuel speculation that a deal could be coming with a cryptic Instagram post. Nothing has come to fruition, or at least it hasn’t been announced, just yet. Keeping Jefferson could also be a key to keeping up the Vikings’ reputation around the league.
Jefferson is set to reshape the market for non-quarterbacks around the NFL with his next contract.
The Vikings also have a history of moving on from pricey receivers.
Jefferson’s situation is far different from his predecessors, though. Most notably, he and the organization remain in good standing. With reports that Jefferson wanted a long-term resolution about the situation at quarterback, his reaching out to McCarthy is promising for the Vikings.
J.J. McCarthy Reveals Fellow Prospects Feelings on Vikings
GettyJ.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell received strong marks in a player survey conducted by the NFLPA, as did the rest of the Vikings organization.
The high opinions about the Vikings were not reserved for McCarthy or those in the league.
“The organization’s outstanding. And then you add the players and the pieces that are around it, and the coaches, and just everything about being in the midwest is something that I always gravitate towards,” McCarthy said. “It was just the perfect fit for me, and I talked with a lot of the quarterbacks throughout this process and it was the perfect fit for them too.
“Just extremely blessed to be here. Obviously, it’s a huge honor and I hope to just prove them right.”
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