McCarthy struggles overshadowed another brilliant Jefferson season

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

J.J. McCarthy struggles overshadowed another brilliant Justin Jefferson season

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 6:46 PM ET

Even with abysmal quarterback play, the Minnesota Vikings can still count on wide receiver Justin Jefferson giving them 1,000 receiving yards or more.

Entering the Vikings' regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers, sixth-year WR Jefferson needed 53 yards to finish with 1,000 receiving yards. He shattered that mark. In a 16-3 Minnesota win, the WR tallied eight receptions for 101 yards.

Jefferson has now joined Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans and Hall of Famer Randy Moss as the only players in league history to log 1,000 receiving yards or more in their first six seasons. This season may have been one of the more impressive for the Vikings star, considering he could've produced even better numbers had it not been for erratic QB play.

QB J.J. McCarthy's struggles prevented Justin Jefferson from being more productive

McCarthy — pick No. 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft — entered his first season as a starter in 2025. The former Michigan Wolverines star missed the 2024 season because of a meniscus tear in his right knee. His inexperience showed throughout the season.

1K JJ ✈️

Justin Jefferson has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first six seasons in the NFL, joining Mike Evans and Randy Moss as the only players to do so pic.twitter.com/rtZ4cNuRvG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 4, 2026

Entering Sunday, McCarthy had tossed 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions and posted an awful 33.4 QBR. Injuries have certainly played a factor in his struggles. The QB has battled hand and ankle issues.

Those injury problems carried over into the loss against the Packers. McCarthy completed 14-of-23 passes for 182 yards before exiting with a right hand injury. Rookie QB Max Brosmer replaced him, completing 7-of-8 passes for 57 yards.

In turn, Jefferson hasn't generated as many explosive plays this season. Through 16 games, he averaged a career-low 59.2 receiving yards per game after averaging 90.2 last season. It looks like letting QB Sam Darnold sign with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency was a mistake for Minnesota.

The Seahawks (14-3) clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC after beating the San Francisco 49ers, 13-3, on Saturday. Minnesota (9-8), meanwhile, has missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

The Vikings are reportedly mulling adding another QB this offseason, but head coach Kevin O'Connell insists they remain confident in McCarthy.

"I think he's improved throughout the season. I think he's grown like a lot of young quarterbacks do," the coach told the media postgame. "I'm excited where he's ending the season and know there's some things we can really dive into as a group."

The Vikings need more growth from McCarthy next season, or else Jefferson may start wondering if he should play elsewhere. The standout pass-catcher would be WR1 for many teams.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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