This offseason is going to be a long one for the Minnesota Vikings, as there are a lot of storylines they will have to deal with, and the media noise will be loud.
One of those is the criticism coming for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, especially after his head coach, Kevin O'Connell, advocated for more competition at quarterback in 2026. That has led to McCarthy also taking hits about his play on the field.
While Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson was streaming Fortnite, one of his viewers commented that one of the players had an “aim like J.J. McCarthy.” That led Jefferson to go to bat for his quarterback.
“Y’all wrong for that man. Y’all chill on my youngin.”
Justin Jefferson stands up for his quarterback in the best way
This is something that Vikings fans have seen from Jefferson all season as he has stood by McCarthy through all his struggles. It would be easy after a rough year, and the announcement of new competition at quarterback coming in for Jefferson to shrug off the comment or not even say anything. Jefferson is a leader and will always have his teammates' backs.
The 2025 season was statistically the worst year in Jefferson's six-year NFL career, but he was still able to keep his streak of 1,000 yards in a season alive at six. He finished with 84 receptions for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a career-low 12.5 yards per catch.
There were clear frustrations with the performances, but Jefferson stood tall and handled it all like a pro. Others, like Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, were sending out cryptic tweets and criticising the team on streams, but not Jefferson. He has shown nothing but class throughout his NFL career with the Vikings.
This will be an interesting offseason for the Vikings, as they need to make changes at quarterback and hope to bring in the right person to push McCarthy into the starter role. It might also be big for Jefferson, as if he doesn't see some kind of progress with the franchise, he starts pushing the idea of trading him from the team.