Vikings’ Justin Jefferson makes clear JJ McCarthy declaration amid turbulent season

JJ McCarthy’s first season playing in the NFL hasn’t gone according to plan. He’s had his moments, yes, but the Minnesota Vikings quarterback looked every bit like a rookie for most of the season. McCarthy’s struggles and injury issues have directly led to the Vikings’ struggles this season. Minnesota will miss the playoffs this season after ending the 2024 regualr season with a 14-3 record.

McCarthy’s struggles have led to some uncomfortable questions about the quarterback and his future with the team. While most of it seems to just be speculation, it’s also nice to hear that his teammates still have his back. Justin Jefferson’s answer about McCarthy’ this season shows that he’s still invested in seeing his quarterback succeed.

“Of course I would love for him (McCarthy) to be here,” Jefferson said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “Of course I would love for him to be the quarterback. Especially off this year. I feel like he needs to show everybody and prove to everybody that he is that top-tier quarterback. So I would love to have him. I would love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy.”

McCarthy has played in only nine games this season. Due to various injuries, the Vikings quarterback has been sidelined for multiple short stretches this season. Unfortunately, that’s only the start of McCarthy’s woes this season.

When he stepped on the field, McCarthy had been wildly inconsistent this season. He’s completed just 57.3% of his passes this year and averaged just 161.1 passing yards per game. What’s more concerning is his tendency to be turnover-prone: the Vikings quarterback already thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns this season (11), and he’s already lost two fumbles this year as well.

Jefferson’s production has taken a nosedive as a result: the Vikings star wide receiver has 947 yards through 16 games and has just two touchdowns this season. While that’s a respectable statline for most receivers, getting around 1,000 yards is a far cry from his regular production. Still, it’s great to see Jefferson hype up his quarterback despite his struggles.

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