Vikings' Justin Jefferson seems to reveal his feelings on J.J. McCarthy after controversial Sam Darnold comments

Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson raised eyebrows when he recently said he "definitely" felt the Vikings could be playing in this year's Super Bowl if they had current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold atop the depth chart instead of 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy. 

Understandably, that comment left outsiders assuming that McCarthy had lost Jefferson's support amid the uncertainty hovering over the Vikings following the surprising dismissal of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. During an appearance on the FanDuel TV "Up & Adams" program, Jefferson offered what could politely be described as a half-vote of confidence regarding McCarthy's status with the Vikings. 

Justin Jefferson seems to see the writing on the wall regarding the future of J.J. McCarthy 

"As of right now, J.J. is my quarterback," Jefferson said, per Eric Edholm of the NFL's website. "So for me, it's getting him to where we need to go. It starts off right now in the offseason and getting better now."

Jefferson's "right now" is likely related to Minnesota's not-so-secret search for an advertised upgrade at the quarterback position. Since the end of the regular season, insiders have linked the Vikings with current Pittsburgh Steelers starter Aaron Rodgers and with San Francisco 49ers backup Mac Jones. While Rodgers is on track to reach free agency when the new league year opens in March, Jones is under contract through next season. 

"Obviously, it wasn't the most spectacular thing," Jefferson added about McCarthy's play across the first 10 starts of his career. "Those are things that he understands and we all understand as a building, that there are some things to work on. But J.J. is a really good quarterback. He's a really good guy, personally, to sit there and talk to. He's a really good leader and great motivator."

Will Justin Jefferson make QB demands to Vikings this offseason?

One couldn't be blamed for thinking that Jefferson may demand during the offseason that the Vikings find him a better QB1. It sounds like he won't embrace such a plan before, during or after the upcoming draft. 

"I don't care," Jefferson said about who will be occupying Minnesota's quarterback room during training camp. "That's not my decision. That's not my main priority, and I've said that multiple times. I don't really care who's throwing that ball. But the person that's throwing that ball needs to throw that ball and needs to lead us to that big dance at the end of the season."

Jefferson had a habit of making his frustrations known on the sidelines during games this season. Judging by the events of the past couple of weeks, it seems that trend could continue through at least the spring.