Fresh off of a new four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings, wide receiver Justin Jefferson met with the media to discuss a wide range of topics on Tuesday. When it came to the topic surrounding the quarterback situation, Jefferson spoke highly of Vikings rookie QB JJ McCarthy.
“I talked to JJ as soon as he got drafted,” Jefferson said. “I told him confidence is key, just coming into this league with confidence and being able to have that leadership right off the bat being a rookie. There’s going to be people to come and help, and of course I’m going to be that main person to be in his ear, to try and teach him and try to prepare him for what we’re about to go through. But I told him this league is tough. It’s not an easy job to come out here and perform at the highest ability, especially as a rookie. But definitely will be that main person he can lean on and help throughout the way.”
Jefferson, who’s now entering his fifth season in the NFL, is now adjusting to life without veteran QB Kirk Cousins. The former MSU QB was the starter at Minnesota throughout Jefferson’s first four seasons in the league, but Cousins is now with the Atlanta Falcons. Although things are different and it’s still very early in the process, Jefferson says he likes the energy that McCarthy is brining to the team.
“Of course, having Kirk was a little bit easier,” Jefferson said. “Him being a veteran, and me pretty much coming into the league with him as my quarterback. Things were a lot easier. But, of course, things are not always going to be that type of way. There’s things that are going to change, and you can’t really look back on the past and dwell on that. So having JJ into the building, a new energy and a new soul…I mean I love his confidence. I love his attitude. And, of course, with him coming off a championship, you can’t have more confidence than that. So that confidence is going to continue to be with him, it’s just my job to really install that into his brain throughout the whole entire season.”
In order to win the starting job with the Vikings, McCarthy will have to fight off another veteran who’s intent on locking down that position – Sam Darnold. Although Darnold has six years of experience in the league, he’s struggled to live up to the expectation that comes with being a first-round pick, and he’s now with his fourth team as he enters his seventh season. Early reporting from Vikings camp suggests that Darnold is performing about as well as you would expect from a six-year veteran, but the general belief is that he won’t be able to hold off the talented rookie for too long.
