The Minnesota Vikings are likely hoping that whoever wins the QB competition can take advantage of the team’s weapons, primarily Justin Jefferson. Moreover, Jefferson is probably expecting a bounce-back 2026 NFL season after a challenging 2025 campaign.
Last season, Jefferson played 392 pass snaps for the Vikings, leading to an 80.5 overall PFF grade. Jefferson hauled in 84 receptions on 140 targets for 1,048 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Moreover, he averaged 12.5 yards per reception and generated 435 yards after the catch while having five drops. With training camp nearing, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes issued a strong take to Minnesota, noting that the team cannot let Jefferson have another 2025 season.
“For me, it’s not just about the quarterback,” Kimes said on the July 10 edition of “NFL Live.” “It’s about the entire team. Justin Jefferson should never have a season like the one we saw last year. He is one of the, if not the best, receivers in football, and he was really limited by quarterback play.
“To put it in perspective, throwing to Justin Jefferson, J.J. McCarthy had an off-target rate of 28 percent. That is about twice what Sam Darnold’s off-target rate was throwing to Jefferson. And the same with Kirk Cousins. It was mostly not his fault. Frankly, you could see him get frustrated as the season went on.”
Justin Jefferson Just Needs Average Play From Vikings QB
Moreover, Kimes believes that if Kyler Murray, should he win the QB competition over J.J. McCarthy, can be average, that it would be a major boost for Jefferson’s production.
“If Kyler Murray brings even average quarterback play, which I think he is capable of, whether or not that ceiling looks more like it did in 2020 has to do with a variety of factors, including his deep ball coming back,“ Kimes added.
“To me, that’s a massive upgrade, and it’s so important for this group of talented wide receivers to play with a competent quarterback.”
Justin Jefferson Lands Doubt as NFL’s Top Wide Receiver
Because of his production from last season, some are questioning whether Jefferson is really the best wideout in the NFL. Despite these numbers, given the QB’s sporadic play, CBS Sports’ Leger Douzable recently questioned Jefferson’s status as the league’s best wide receiver.
Douzable stated that, for him, there are two better receivers than Jefferson for that top spot as the league’s best wide receiver.
“Obviously, J.J. McCarthy really struggled at quarterback, but when I look over the last two seasons, and you look at the receivers who are No. 1 and No. 2 in receiving yards, you have Ja’Marr Chase and Jaxon Smith-Njigba,“ Douzable said on a June 25 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.”
“Well, they’ve had to deal with different quarterbacks, and yet their production is still through the roof.”
It will be interesting to see whether McCarthy or Murray can help Jefferson return to the level of production many expect from him and stop the dialogue questioning his status as the league’s best wide receiver.
Another season in which the Vikings wideout doesn’t register numbers that put him in the conversation as the best wideout might cause the player to question his future in Minnesota.
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