Vikings' Justin Jefferson seems to shade J.J. McCarthy with Sam Darnold comments

Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson repeatedly backed J.J. McCarthy throughout the season as the second-year quarterback struggled with inconsistent play and multiple physical setbacks. 

However, that doesn't mean Jefferson isn't wondering what could have been had Minnesota held onto current Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Sam Darnold last offseason. 

Vikings "definitely" could be playing in the Super Bowl with Sam Darnold?

During a recent chat with USA Today, Jefferson was asked if he thought the Vikings, rather than the Seahawks, could have been playing in the upcoming Super Bowl had Darnold remained Minnesota's starting quarterback.

"Yeah, for sure, definitely," Jefferson responded, per Denny Alfonso of The Athletic. "Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it. Having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better. But it is what it is. It’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year."

Darnold endured a pair of rough outings in his final two starts with Minnesota after he guided the club to 14 regular-season victories during the 2024 campaign. While he now has the Seahawks a win over the New England Patriots this coming Sunday away from hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy, McCarthy thus far has made only 10 starts since he was selected in the first round of the 2024 draft. The 23-year-old tossed a total of 12 interceptions over those 10 games, and the executive responsible for drafting him is no longer with the Vikings. 

Sam Darnold playing in the Super Bowl will be "tough to watch" for Justin Jefferson

"It’s tough to watch," Jefferson added during his comments about Darnold. "I love that he’s in the Super Bowl. I’m happy for him, I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way his journey was at first, people doubting him and people not giving him the respect. Now they’re giving him the respect. Now they’re seeing that he’s a top-tier quarterback in this league. Of course, selfishly, I wish he had done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I’m happy for him, and I hope he wins. I’m rooting for Seattle, and I think Seattle’s gonna win. I’ll be rooting for him." 

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the Seahawks as 4.5-point favorites over the Patriots for Super Bowl LX. At that same time, Darnold was the overall betting favorite at +120 odds to win Super Bowl MVP Award honors.