Over the last two games, albeit against two of the worst defenses in the league, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has seemingly turned a corner toward proving he should be the starter in 2026.
However, what has continued over the last two games, despite the favorable circumstances, is McCarthy's struggles to connect with wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Over the last two games, Jefferson has just four catches for 33 yards on 12 targets.
Against the Dallas Cowboys in the Vikings' Week 15 win, McCarthy just missed Jefferson on what would have been a huge gain. Later, Jefferson dropped an on-target pass in the end zone that he acknowledged he should have caught despite the throw coming in faster than he expected.
Those two plays are the latest symptoms of something that has to change moving forward if the Vikings are going to get the most from McCarthy, and Jefferson is going to continue to justify his status as one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL.
Jalen Nailor has not struggled to have chemistry with Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
Against the Cowboys, Vikings' No. 3 wide receiver Jalen Nailor had the first multi-touchdown game of his career.
Those two touchdowns also equal how many touchdowns Jefferson has in McCarthy's eight starts, on less than half the number of targets (29, to 61 for Jefferson). Nailor has a 100-yard game with McCarthy under center (Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens), compared to none for Jefferson thus far.
The rapport between McCarthy and No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison has been hit-and-miss over six games together, but spurred by some explosive plays, Addison has topped 60 yards in each of the last two games.
Nailor is in a contract year, and his connection with McCarthy is notable in terms of the young signal caller's current and future success. It seems inevitable to happen, and his cap hit for 2026 is just $4.3 million, but the Vikings also have to weigh giving Addison a lucrative contract extension soon.
Nailor will not break the bank in his second contract, but a multi-year deal that pushes toward $10 million per year isn't out of the question. If he finishes the season strongly, the market for his services may expand, and another team could offer a clearer path to a prominent role than the Vikings can.
For 2026, the Vikings could comfortably afford to have Jefferson, Addison, and Nailor as their top three wide receivers. Beyond that is the question, with the role Nailor may be able to find elsewhere as a free agent in March, a big question is looming over his situation right now.