Since the Minnesota Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson in 2020, the LSU product has been one of, if not the best, wide receivers in the NFL. Moreover, his production has come with much instability at the quarterback position.
When Jefferson entered the league, Kirk Cousins was the starting quarterback for several seasons. However, since 2023, it’s been a revolving door of quarterbacks as Cousins, Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Sam Darnold, Carson Wentz, and J.J. McCarthy have been under center for Minnesota.
Nonetheless, sports media host Dan Patrick questioned whether J.J. McCarthy, whom the Vikings selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and named their starter this offseason, might fail to develop into the quarterback they envisioned, leading Jefferson to grow frustrated with the situation and possibly want out.
“I think the bigger picture here is the Vikings because J.J. McCarthy hasn’t gotten any updates yet on that high ankle sprain, but he’s been out for six weeks, and Carson Wentz is not the answer,” Patrick said on the October 24 edition of “The Dan Patrick Show.” “And this is where you can’t help but think, given that Sam Darnold has played well and [Daniel Jones] is playing well, and Kirk Cousins could have been available to you to come back, and Aaron Rodgers flirted with you.
“He chose a different direction. You chose a different direction, and I know this is hindsight. But this is a situation where you’ve got the best receiver in the game, and I wonder at what point Justin Jefferson says, ‘Get me out of here.‘ And I think that’s real. He’s got 8,000 career yards, and this is a situation where I feel like they’ve got everything, but they don’t have a quarterback.”
Are the Vikings Wasting Justin Jefferson’s Prime?
Patrick drew parallels between the Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals, noting how one team turned to Joe Flacco to stay competitive after Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury. Minnesota, meanwhile, has Carson Wentz, who’s 2-3 as a starter and playing through injury, and J.J. McCarthy, who’s still inexperienced in his second season.
“At what point does Justin Jefferson say, ‘I need somebody to throw me the ball; I’m in my prime,’” Patrick added. “This is like the Bengals, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase. That’s why I said, don’t waste another year. Get a quarterback who can help you. And Joe Flacco, maybe he can come to the rescue. Maybe he can keep you afloat during the regular season. Maybe you get Joe Burrow back. Even if J.J. McCarthy comes back, I don’t know what you have with him; and he’s going to have to kind of ease into playing.
“And in that division with the Lions, the Bears are better. And we know Green Bay’s got the best record in the NFC. Time’s running out. And that was what I kept thinking when I was watching [on Thursday night]. Time is running out on the Vikings. Justin Jefferson had seven catches for 74 yards. So, he’s got 8,000 career receiving yards, becoming the youngest player to reach that mark at 26 years and 129 days. He’s 168 days younger than Randy Moss was when he hit 8,000.”
Justin Jefferson Earns Praise for His Vikings Production
Even though he hasn’t had any consistency under center over the years, former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald recently praised Jefferson for his production despite the inconsistency at quarterback over the last couple of seasons.
“I think Justin Jefferson, to me, what he’s been able to do, and I think Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are like neck and neck, right?“ Fitzgerald said in a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” “But Ja’Marr has had the luxury of having somebody who’s in the conversation of MVP, quality player at quarterback, and Joe Burrow his entire career. Justin has done it with Sam Darnold. He’s done it with J.J. McCarthy. He’s done it with Kirk Cousins. He’s done it with a lot of different players, and his numbers never change.
“I think that’s truly a testament to being the best player on the field. Everybody’s keying on you. Every defense, every coordinator, everybody’s aware of where you are. You’re still able to go out there and make play after play after play. And getting to know him, he lives in Minnesota. I’m a Minnesota guy. He’s so humble; he’s down to earth. He’s engaging. He just stands for all the right things.”
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