Justin Jefferson Has Thoughts on Vikings’ Choice at QB
In three weeks, Minnesota Vikings fans will learn the team’s quarterback plan for 2025.
Justin Jefferson Has Thoughts on Vikings’ Choice at QB
That’s when the NFL free agency period kicks off, and folks will know if Sam Darnold stays with Minnesota via extension, signs with another team, or is traded on the franchise tag.
And Athlon Sports recently chatted about the subject with Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ best player. In short, Jefferson is letting it all play out, not offering a specific endorsement and seeming content with either choice.
“Luckily, that ain’t my decision. I’m sitting back, and I’m waiting for all of these decisions to be made. I’m really just showing up and being myself and making the plays that I make,” Jefferson said.
Darnold tallied 4,319 passing yards and 36 total touchdowns in 2024. The man performed marvelously through 16 games but regrettably faceplanted in the season’s final two contests against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. Per fan sentiment, most decided J.J. McCarthy felt like a more viable path for the future.
“I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what we’re going to do with Sam, if we’re going to bring him back. Of course, J.J. is going to have his opportunity to make some plays and to see if he’s going to be the starter,” Jefferson added.
“I’m not sure exactly what we’re going to do with Sam and the moves that we’re going to make, but I’m always confident in myself. It don’t matter who’s going to be throwing the ball. I’m going to make a play for sure.”
The elephant in the room regarding the Vikings’ quarterback decision? Money. Darnold can probably fetch a contract worth $35-$45 million annually via free agency, and Minnesota just ended an era with Kirk Cousins when it paid a good-but-not-elite quarterback top dollar while hoping to fill out a Super Bowl roster. McCarthy was supposed to provide five years of optimal team-building, playing on a rookie contract through the end of the 2028 season.
Re-signing Darnold would plonk the Vikings right back into the Cousins era of roster construction, searching free agency for bargain-bin players.
If Darnold does not re-sign with the Vikings, paving the way for the McCarthy era in the Twin Cities, teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Giants, to name a few, could inquire about his free agency.
McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, is fully on track to be ready for spring and summer activities.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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