The Minnesota Vikings' offseason was centered around quarterback J.J. McCarthy and setting him up to succeed in his first year as the starter. The interior of the offensive line has been fortified with one of the top offensive tackle tandems in the league, and the depth of skill position talent around McCarthy will make his job immeasurably easier.
Justin Jefferson is now entering his sixth season, and he's not going anywhere in the conversation about the best wide receiver in the NFL. Tight end T.J. Hockenson has proven to be an impactful addition since being acquired from the Detroit Lions at the 2022 trade deadline. The trio was completed when the Vikings selected wide receiver Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 draft.
Jefferson missed seven games in 2023. Then Hockenson suffered a torn ACL late that season, and he was sidelined for the first seven games of last season. So, over two seasons up to this point, the Vikings' top pass-catching trio hasn't been on the field together as much as it might be easy to think. And with Addison facing a suspension after an alleged DUI incident last offseason, the three likely won't be on the field together for a few games to begin this season.
Stat proves how critical Minnesota Vikings pass-catching trio will be for J.J. McCarthy
On a recent episode of the "Check The Mic", Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson of The 33rd Team ranked the best positional units in the NFL.
The Vikings were solidly represented on Palazzolo's top-10 list, with the defensive line coming in at No. 4 and the pass catchers coming in at No. 7. While the unit missed Palazzolo's list, Monson joined the chorus about the offensive line having the potential to be one of the best in the league.
Palazzolo lauded the Vikings' top pass-catcher trio as the best in the league, and Monson dove deeper into the depth of the group.
"I made the point last year that I think they were the best trio in the NFL when you're talking about Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson — and I still believe that's true." 🏆@StevePalazzolo_ and @SamMonsonNFL break down the Vikings' pass catching unit 👇 pic.twitter.com/xrxrraP28X
— Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson (@CTM_Show) July 10, 2025
With Palazzolo and Monson's conversation as the launch point, The 33rd Team shared a notable statistical split related to Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson.
Since 2023, the Vikings average 6.3 yards per play when Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson are all on the field together (T-2nd in NFL)
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) July 13, 2025
When any one of them is off the field, that drops to 5.3 yards per play (T-16th in NFL) https://t.co/uZgGQWV5tz pic.twitter.com/YLZ8ixwuMn
Based on yards per play over the last two seasons, the Vikings' offense goes from middle of the pack when any one of Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson is off the field, to elite when they are on the field together.
There are surely some other numbers that show a similar split, as the different skill sets each brings to the table create a complete array of weapons for whoever the quarterback is.
How often Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson are on the field together is a sneaky (or maybe not so sneaky) key to how successful McCarthy will be this season, and how successful he'll be for however long he has them at his disposal.