Justin Jefferson Jumps into Vikings’ QB Debate: “He’s Gotta Step it Up a Little Bit”
Vikings WR1 Justin Jefferson doesn’t sound like someone who is ready to throw in the towel on J.J. McCarthy. Far from it, in fact.
But while that’s true, Jefferson nevertheless highlighted the need to see McCarthy improve quickly given what has taken place during the offseason (presser). Most notably, that’s within the decision to put Kyler Murray into that quarterback room. Tossing a high-end talent into the competition means that McCarthy must “step it up.”
Justin Jefferson on J.J. McCarthy Needing to Elevate
Before getting too far, consider some of the broader quotation from Mr. Jefferson.
“I’m definitely looking forward to those big, exciting plays,” Jefferson said of Kyler Murray. Not long afterwards, there’s the reflection on Mr. McCarthy: “For J.J. [McCarthy], for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability, that type of talent, he’s gotta step it up a little bit.” Not embracing a “competitive mindset” means McCarthy getting shuffled to the “backseat.” Jefferson’s prescription: time to “lock in.”
Go ahead and listen to Justin Jefferson’s full presser. He’s even-keeled and measured in his responses while still conveying the urgency of needing to compete. Essentially, Jefferson is publicly leading his teammates, doing so by supporting McCarthy while nevertheless noting that McCarthy needs to compete.
Other portions of the same presser involve Jefferson chatting about the passer battle. He has worked out with McCarthy. He feels like he needs reps with both of the top options even as he said that Murray adjusting to Jefferson — getting the timing right as the WR works his route, for instance — likely matters more for the connection. Pretty consistently, Jefferson describes how his job is to just catch the ball (an oversimplification even as his broad point is true).
Last season, J.J. McCarthy needed to be a game manager. Too often, McCarthy failed in that pursuit.
Now, there’s a pretty good case to be made that Minnesota did the young fella no favors. Tasking him with adjusting his mechanics during the season looked foolish in real time and even more after some hindsight. Worse yet, there wasn’t enough willingness to lean on the run, to play small ball as the 22-year-old quarterback got acclimated.
Nevertheless, McCarthy does need to step up. Excuses can be made but seeing Justin Jefferson play in all seventeen games while just barely clearing 1,000 yards is an indication of how bad the quarterback position got. Much of the issue was injury — at a couple points, undrafted rookie QB3 Max Brosmer had to play — but there were broader performance problems.
The Minnesota Vikings are currently working through the opening phase of the offseason. In driving terms, the key is just getting put into the ignition. Getting onto the road involves moving quite slowly, only barely touching the gas.
That therefore means working out and chatting in meetings, not tossing on the pads for a full afternoon of Oklahoma drill. The physical component means the weight room. Otherwise, there’s an emphasis on learning. Plays, scheme, mechanics, vocabulary, technique, and so on.
Justin Jefferson is in town, a star player who is there for the earliest portion of the voluntary section of the offseason. He’ll be the roster’s most important player no matter how things unfold. Who is passing him the ball — either of J.J. McCarthy or Kyler Murray — is going to be an ongoing debate. Competition is the way to adjudicate who gets to deliver the pigskin to Jefferson.
Jefferson’s words therefore clarify a central point: it’s time for each to offer up the best version of themselves.
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