With offseason workouts underway and minicamp around the corner, the Minnesota Vikings will soon kick off their quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. McCarthy’s struggles as the starter last season prompted Minnesota to bring in Murray on a veteran minimum deal, and it split the fanbase as they believe a baseline effort of quarterback play could help the Vikings return to the playoffs.
But for as much as each throw by Murray and McCarthy will be dissected between now and the Sept. 13 opener against the Green Bay Packers, the receivers have to catch it on the opposite end.
The debate was sparked by X user Joe A., who broke down each of Justin Jefferson’s drops from last season and a few more passes that are usually grabbed by the All-Pro receiver. While the Vikings star had some uncharacteristic miscues during the 2025 season, he wasn’t alone and could be the main reason whether McCarthy or Murray is successful in 2026.
The Minnesota Vikings' wide receivers can go a long way to help whoever is playing quarterback in 2026
McCarthy’s performance was used as a scapegoat for why the Vikings missed the playoffs last season. But his receivers didn’t do him many favors. Jefferson may be the biggest offender although he had less drops (5) than his 2024 campaign (6) but had a higher drop rate last year (5.6%) than the previous year (5.3%) according to Pro Football Focus.
While that may not feel like a big deal, the 5.6% drop rate was Jefferson’s highest since a 7.7% drop rate during the 2021 season and far away from the 2.9% drop rate he posted when he faced similar quarterback issues with Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens in 2023.
There were reasons for Jefferson’s performance, including a hamstring injury that kept him out for most of training camp. But even Jefferson admitted at one point in the year that he needed to get back to his dominant 2022 form, which made it seem like something was off all season long.
This was an issue that also showed up with the rest of the Vikings’ receiving core.
Jordan Addison appeared to have the best rapport with McCarthy during training camp. But after serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Substances of Abuse Policy, Addison posted career-highs with seven drops and a 14.3% drop rate.
T.J. Hockenson also had a tough go as he was asked to block for a leaky offensive line. But he didn’t help himself when the ball came his way, posting his highest drop rate (7.3%) since 2020 (9.5%).
In all, Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports noted there was a 10.8% drop rate on McCarthy’s 243 attempts last season, which was the highest on the team ahead of Max Brosmer (6.0% on 71 attempts) and Carson Wentz (3.5% on 169 attempts). Forness also notes that “ball placement and velocity matter” on these attempts, however, and it checks out considering McCarthy had a 66.5% on-target rate according to Pro Football Reference.
Murray’s throws got to the receiver more often with a 75.2% on-target rate last season and 77.0% rate for his career. But that won’t matter if the Vikings can’t catch the ball.
It sounds simple, especially since that’s the primary job for any wide receiver. But with Jefferson giving his opinions on the competition, it may be a good time to reflect on what went wrong last season and help his quarterback by catching the ball when it comes his way in 2026.
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