Justin Jefferson offers concerning comments about Vikings' season amid rumors

The Minnesota Vikings' decision to let Sam Darnold leave via free agency this past March continues to haunt the NFC North club that lost eight of its first 12 games this season, largely because of poor quarterback play. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson didn't hide how he feels about what likely will go down as a lost campaign for all involved. 

Justin Jefferson enduring "one of the most difficult seasons" of his career

"Obviously, it's a difficult season," Jefferson admitted, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. "It's probably one of the most difficult seasons just off of the circumstances, having a young quarterback, having a different team, having young players on the team. So it's just one of those years. Not every year is going to be a top-tier year for me. It's really a part of the game, so it's just all on me to expect a lot from these guys and to improve on anything that we need to improve on as an offense."

Second-year Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy spent his rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair, missed time this fall due to an ankle injury and left much to be desired with his play over his first six regular-season starts. Back on Nov. 30, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer tossed four interceptions in a 26-0 loss to Darnold's Seattle Seahawks. 

As for Jefferson, he has been arguably the league's best overall receiver since Minnesota made him a first-round draft pick in the spring of 2020. While he signed a four-year contract extension in June 2024, he recently became the subject of trade rumors. Such chatter indicates that at least some people within the NFL think Jefferson, who has never been part of a playoff win, could want out during the upcoming offseason. 

Over his first 12 games of the ongoing campaign, Jefferson tallied just two touchdown catches. To compare, he recorded 10 touchdown receptions last season. 

Will Justin Jefferson have patience regarding Vikings' quarterback situation?

"You have to have a lot of patience," Jefferson added during his comments. "I mean, we're 4-8. That's definitely a difficult thing to go through. It's definitely not exciting to lose games, and especially in front of our fans at home. Those are definitely things that I hate doing. I always was a kid that was a competitor at the highest level. I hated losing, hated losing board games. Those are all things that I hated losing. So of course I hate being in this situation and losing these games, but (there is) going to be better times, and there's going to be a time where people put on that TV, and they're talking all about us, and they jumped on our bandwagon."

Jefferson will have an opportunity to shine in front of home fans when the 4-8 Vikings host the Washington Commanders (3-9) this coming Sunday. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Minnesota as a 1.5-point favorite for that contest.