It’s been three years, three different quarterbacks for Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson — but J.J. McCarthy is a different case.
At Vikings training camp on July 24, Jefferson shared his thoughts on the 22-year-old quarterback, who is preparing for his first year as a starter after missing the entirety of his rookie year due to a meniscus injury.
In a video that went viral on X (formerly Twitter) with over three million views, Jefferson admitted that there is a “patience” required when working with McCarthy.
“He’s pretty much a rookie,” Jefferson said. “Last year pretty much doesn’t count for him. He’s still new to the scheme… you have to have that patience. You’re not really expecting him to have the same mindset as a veteran. You can’t really have that expectation from him.”
Jefferson’s comment, shared in the video post, raised concerns among many casual observers of the team.
However, what Jefferson said next offers only optimism on McCarthy.
“We do have an expectation of him being great, him coming out here every single day and working his butt off and progressing every single day,” Jefferson added. “We do see that progression just on the second day of camp. It’s coming along for him. You can see the confidence he has out there.”
After just a few days of training camp, the consensus among beat reporters is that McCarthy’s maturation is evident not on a week-by-week or daily basis, but every rep.
“They’ve seen progress. Not just day after day, but drill after drill,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said. “He’s really locked in, starting to find his voice as a leader with the team.”
Jefferson will be tantamount to McCarthy’s success after he tallied 1,533 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns a year ago with Sam Darnold, who also had many questions about his status as a starter last summer.
