Still searching for his first playoff win after five seasons in the NFL, Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson did not pick sides in the Vikings’ quarterback dilemma.
Sam Darnold put forth a transformational performance in the 2024 season. A backup one season ago, Darnold became the first quarterback to win 14 games in their first year with a new team, ranking top-five in several passing markers in the regular season.
However, a pair of duds to end the season from Darnold seems to have pivoted interest back to J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings drafted 10th overall last April. While McCarthy, who turns 22 in a week, has a clean slate and untapped potential, he is an unknown commodity versus Darnold who led a top-10 scoring offense to a playoff berth.
Jefferson declined to offer his opinion on which route Minnesota should choose after a season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams on January 13. He likened the Vikings’ situation to their decision on Kirk Cousins a year ago and rested on his past statements: that it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball.
“It’s the same type of situation last year, I didn’t know who was my quarterback, and I really didn’t care at the end of the day,” Jefferson said in a locker room interview. “I always say that I’m confident in myself to go out there and still perform the same way I’ve been performing. But it’s not my job to say who’s going to be the quarterback, who I want to be the quarterback. At the end of the day, they’re going to figure it out, and whoever they decide to go with we’re going to work with that.”
Justin Jefferson Defends Sam Darnold After Loss to Rams
While Jefferson did not choose sides in the Vikings’ quarterback conundrum, he did come to Darnold’s defense when speaking on the team’s 27-9 loss to Los Angeles.
“Our team performance as a whole haven’t been great, not just Sam,” Jefferson said.
“I would never blame Sam for the losses or the struggles that we’ve been having. It’s a whole team thing, which I would say it’s just the execution. We just got to look in a mirror.”
It was the second game in a row that Minnesota was held to nine points, the other being a pivotal Week 18 matchup with the Detroit Lions where the Vikings stumbled to the No. 5 seed after a 31-9 loss.
That loss sent Minnesota to face the Rams, a team they lost to 30-20 in the regular season. The postseason rematch wasn’t nearly as competitive.
Justin Jefferson is Firmly Focused on Vikings’ Future
Before Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million extension last summer, national media tried to churn out any diva wide receiver sentiments they could find from the contract standstill in Minnesota.
While Jefferson is now under team control through the 2028 season, that may not stop offseason trade pitches from surfacing with the ultra-competitive receiver still searching for a championship.
However, Jefferson remains firmly planted in Minnesota with a Vikings organization preparing for its next step after exceeding expectations this season.
“It’s definitely tough, any loss in the playoffs is tough. I haven’t seemed to get a playoff win yet and in my career,” Jefferson said. “I’m still chasing and trying to strive, but it’s definitely tough, having this type of season with as close as we are as a team.
“But, you know, just still more work to be done.”
