Kevin O’Connell highlighted what makes Justin Jefferson special when the Minnesota Vikings signed their effervescent receiver to a four-year, $140 million contract in June 2024.
“Justin fits everything that we want to be about and continue to build in this building,” O’Connell said. “He means the world to that locker room. Even today, seeing him back around his teammates, he’s a people-changer. He’s a culture-changer, and he’s everything we want this organization to be about.”
Jefferson has actively avoided being a diva and always puts winning above individual performance. He’s done so despite facing adverse circumstances immediately upon entering the league. Playing with first-year starter J.J. McCarthy is only the latest challenge he’s faced.
McCarthy has been inconsistent in his first season under center. The 10th-overall pick two years ago has flashed moments of brilliance in Chicago and Detroit. However, he’s only completed 52.9% of his passes and is PFF’s 36th-ranked quarterback.
This is the kind of non-competitive miss from J.J. McCarthy that offenses just can't have. pic.twitter.com/uLRE1uM4S1
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 16, 2025
In five games with McCarthy, Jefferson has caught 22 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns (4.4 catches and 54 yards per game). Meanwhile, Jefferson has averaged 6.4 catches and 96.5 yards with quarterbacks ranging from Kirk Cousins to Carson Wentz and Joshua Dobbs.
“Everyone feels like it’s difficult,” Jefferson admitted regarding his lack of production after the Bears game on Sunday. “It’s not something we’re keeping under the rug or anything.”
Jefferson doesn’t have a 100-yard receiving game with McCarthy under center. Still, he’s extended grace to Minnesota’s first-year quarterback, just like he did with Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall.
“You have to have patience with him,” Jefferson said during training camp. “He’s pretty much a rookie.”
“I’m extremely grateful to have a player and person like him,” Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said on Tuesday. “That guy is about winning football games, first and foremost.”
Jefferson has faced more adversity than many superstar receivers. Many enter the league with stability as a quarterback, which allows them to succeed early. Instead, Jefferson has elevated every quarterback he’s played with since arriving in Minnesota.
The Vikings drafted Jefferson during COVID restrictions, meaning he started his career in empty stadiums. Mike Zimmer preferred a run-first offense and didn’t allow him to break Randy Moss’s single-season receiving record in a meaningless Week 18 game on his way out.
Jefferson had his best season with O’Connell on the headset and Cousins under center a year later. However, Cousins was reluctant to throw him deep 50/50 balls, and his Achilles injury a year later ended his time in Minnesota.
Minnesota’s star receiver stayed mum while Mullens threw wanton interceptions, Hall looked overmatched, and the league eventually figured out Dobbs.
B.J. Hill makes one of the wildest big man INTs of the season!
📺: MINvsCIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/vtmfEKvOLy pic.twitter.com/qLCtwmwtQP
— NFL (@NFL) December 16, 2023
A year after injuries and poor quarterback play hampered his production, Jefferson became an All-Star again with Sam Darnold under center. Darnold revived his career in O’Connell’s offense, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. Jefferson had 1,533 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns, his third-best season to date.
However, the Vikings had signed Darnold to bridge to J.J. McCarthy, and they didn’t deviate from their plan. O’Connell had an opportunity to develop McCarthy immediately after college. After seeing Darnold’s play devolve in Detroit and the playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams in Glendale, he let him walk and turned the franchise over to McCarthy.
McCarthy’s development will become an increased focus as Minnesota’s playoff hopes dwindle. However, the Vikings are a unique situation where their receiver is their star player. Other teams need the quarterback they drafted to turn their franchise. The Vikings just need someone to get Jefferson the ball.
That may mean trading for Mac Jones if McCarthy doesn’t meaningfully improve by the end of the year. Kyle Shanahan helped reset Darnold in San Francisco before he arrived in Minnesota, and he appears to be doing the same thing with Jones.
Jones may cost a lot in a trade, though. The Vikings could also try Anthony Richardson, whom they attempted to trade up for in 2023. Taking the fourth-overall selection in that draft on as a reclamation project is a riskier proposition, but O’Connell appears to be a fan of Richardson.
.@Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell had some words of encouragement for @GVOaant ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TaXW9dFaMx
— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2024
O’Connell has said that organizations fail quarterbacks more than quarterbacks fail organizations. He may feel that he has failed McCarthy if he doesn’t pan out in Minnesota. However, the Vikings spent the offseason building a team around J.J. McCarthy. They fortified the trenches and traded for Jordan Mason to complement the weapons they already had around him.
Ultimately, Justin Jefferson is an established star who elevates quarterbacks. The Vikings can’t worry about failing a young quarterback. They must ensure they don’t let their otherworldly receiver down.