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Justin Jefferson is coming off the worst season of his six-year NFL career. Despite playing all 17 games, the Minnesota Vikings star caught 84 passes for 1,048 yards and just two touchdowns, all career lows. Not only were they historically low marks for the four-time Pro Bowler, but it was a massive dropoff from his 1,533-yard, 10-touchdown season in 2024.
The dip had nothing to do with Jefferson, though. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota’s 10th overall pick in 2024, started 10 games last season and finished with just 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, completing 57.6% of his passes and finishing with a 72.6 passer rating, both of which were among the lowest marks in the NFL.
It was clear Minnesota needed to make a change at quarterback heading into the offseason. And in March, the Vikings brought in former Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray, signing him to a one-year, veteran minimum deal after Arizona released him. That’s set up a competition between Murray and McCarthy for the starting job in 2026.
Jefferson weighed in on the ongoing competition during a recent appearance on ESPN’s “This Is Football” podcast with host Kevin Clark.
“I feel like it’s going to be a great competition,” Jefferson said. “I think it’s going to be great for JJ to get that competition in that room, for him to step up his game a little bit, and have to just be that dog. And have to come to training camp every single day with that on his mind, pretty much treating training camp like a game every single day.”
“For K1 (Murray), it’s just all about coming in and being that leader we expect him to be … We know he’s a playmaker, it’s just all about coming to this team with that leadership role that we really need to fill in. I just feel like it’s going to be a great battle all in all,” he added.
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Head coach Kevin O’Connell has insisted all offseason that the job genuinely remains open heading into training camp. Vikings players will report for training camp on Tuesday, July 28, at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota. Practices will roll through August, with Minnesota’s first preseason game on Saturday, August 15, against the New York Giants.
Recent reports suggest Murray has the edge in camp, which is to be expected given his track record as the more reliable veteran who was once one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the entire NFL. But O’Connell has refused to name the outright starter just yet, and some are now saying this could lead right up to Week 1 of the regular season.
Whoever emerges the winner will be tasked not only with reviving Minnesota’s 14-3 form from 2024 — the franchise’s best season since 1998 — but also with getting Jefferson back to his elite self.
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