Justin Jefferson's support of his young quarterback hasn't wavered one bit during J.J. McCarthy's well-documented struggles over the first five games of his NFL career. Jefferson continues to say all the right things about supporting his QB, both after Sunday's game and in his most recent weekly press conference on Thursday.
"I feel like he handled it really well," Jefferson said of McCarthy's approach after a particularly rough game against the Bears. "Not really thinking about the negatives, not really thinking about the past game. Just moving forward and more focused on how he can improve, how can he better operate the offense and lead us to more touchdowns and more drives to eventually win the game."
Jefferson exploded onto the scene in his third NFL game and his career has been defined by consistent individual production, so he can't exactly relate to what McCarthy is going through. What he can do is be there for the 22-year-old as he navigates a difficult adjustment to the league.
"Just talking to him and being on his shoulder, making sure that mentally, he's got his head on right," Jefferson said. "I just know with all of the criticism and all of the hateful messages he's probably been getting, he can cut on the TV on SportsCenter, they can talk negatively about him. Just trying to be that person for him that he can always lean on and talk to."
What's been his advice?
"Block it all out," he said. "Allow yourself to come here, allow this place to be a sanctuary for you to lean on your brothers, to talk to your brothers about anything. And allow us to help him in any way we can. I feel like that allows him to be stress-free and not really think about the negative comments and think about 'I gotta be so perfect' going forward. It's just all about the process of getting better every single day in practice, every single rep, the details, the footwork ... and then Sunday, just let it all loose."
Justin Jefferson on supporting J.J. McCarthy:
"With all of the criticism and all of the hateful messages he's probably been getting, he can cut on the TV on SportsCenter, they can talk negatively about him. Just trying to be that person for him that he can always lean on and… pic.twitter.com/lPCvl4SsIr
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 20, 2025
Although Jefferson has put up dominant numbers throughout his career, he's no stranger to dealing with adversity on a team level. He was there for the high highs of winning in 2022 and 2024, but he also experienced losing seasons in three of his first four years. Going through that taught him patience.
This experience is certainly a new one. Jefferson has never played with a young quarterback before. He's never had difficulty racking up catches and yards, no matter who he's played with, until now. In five games with McCarthy, Jefferson has caught just 22 of 43 targets for 270 yards and two touchdowns. But as a veteran leader, he knows it wouldn't help anyone to lash out or express frustration. All he can do is stay patient and try to be part of the solution.
"I feel like that's been my whole entire career. I kind of had to learn how to have patience with the process, patience with going about my business, how defenses cover me, how we perform as a whole," Jefferson said. "I'm more focused on what I can control and how can I better this team. Given the C on my chest and given the opportunity to be one of the leaders of the team, I take that very seriously."
If Jefferson has concerns about McCarthy's ability to improve and to get to where he needs to be for the entire offense to have success, he isn't saying so publicly. He echoed something Kevin O'Connell has hinted at, which is that McCarthy has looked sharp in practice settings but hasn't been able to carry over that same level of play to the games.
"The people that's out there at practice sees the throws that he makes, sees the reads that he's making," Jefferson said. "He's making the great reads. He's throwing the ball with great accuracy. It's just all about doing it in the game. Not allowing the game to speed up his brain. Allowing himself to be in the moment, to be poised, to be focused on all of the things that we have going on and just be yourself.
"He can make those throws. He's a great quarterback in this league. It's just all about going out there on Sundays, when it all counts and it all matters, and showing up."