Vikings WR Justin Jefferson seemingly can't stop taking veiled shots at J.J. McCarthy

On multiple occasions this winter, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson has hinted that he would like his Minnesota Vikings to acquire an advertised upgrade at quarterback over 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy. 

Jefferson's latest opportunity to give McCarthy a strong vote of confidence occurred during a Thursday appearance on FS1's "First Things First" program. Instead, Jefferson went down a different road. 

Justin Jefferson didn't have an "elite quarterback" throwing him the ball during 2025 season

"How I'm not? A lot of people base it off of the quarterback play," Jefferson responded when asked if he feels he's still the NFL's best wide receiver, per Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report. "Just different things that really go into my position. Obviously, I've got to rely on, and I got to depend on a lot of people in order for me to get that ball. If I don't have an elite quarterback that's throwing me the ball the entire year, then it's a little bit difficult to be in those conversations." 

Jefferson first generated headlines in late January when he said he "definitely" felt the Vikings could be playing in this year's Super Bowl if they had current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, Minnesota's starter from last season, atop the depth chart. More recently, Jefferson mentioned earlier this week that McCarthy was his QB1 "as of right now." At that time, Jefferson also acknowledged that McCarthy's play across the first 10 starts of his career "wasn't the most spectacular thing." 

According to ESPN stats, Jefferson ended the regular season ranked 13th in the NFL with 84 receptions and 12th with 1,048 receiving yards. Over 17 games, he tallied only two receiving touchdowns en route to missing out on a Pro Bowl nod for only the second time since the Vikings grabbed him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Playing with J.J. McCarthy resulted in Justin Jefferson having a "difficult season"

"Having a young quarterback that's still learning the game and still learning his potential in this league, you kind of have those difficult seasons, which I had this past year," Jefferson continued. "I still think that I'm still No. 1. I still think that no one in this league can cover me man-to-man. That's without a doubt. My confidence level will always be high, and I will always feel that I'm No. 1 in my eyes."

Stories throughout Super Bowl week have linked the Vikings with current Pittsburgh Steelers starter Aaron Rodgers, who remains on track to reach free agency when the new league year opens in March. Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers could also be an option for Minnesota if Rodgers chooses to return to Pittsburgh or ride off into the sunset of retirement.