The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of work to do, according to Justin Jefferson. And he spoke out recently about the team’s quarterback situation. Also, Jefferson had a stunned reaction to Shedeur Sanders’ 2025 NFL Draft slide.
Jefferson said he couldn’t believe Sanders fell so far, according to a post on ClutchPoints via @BleacherReport / TikTok.
“I mean, New York (Giants) doesn’t really have a quarterback. Steelers, Cleveland (Browns) definitely does need a quarterback.”
Interestingly, the Vikings have their own quarterback situation. Untested second-year player J.J. McCarthy has been given the starting reins. If he fails, the Vikings will only have journeymen Sam Howell and Brett Rypien on the roster.
Maybe WR Justin Jefferson wanted Shedeur Sanders as his QB?
Certainly he wouldn’t say that publicly, not wanting to undermine McCarthy. But Jefferson supported Sanders getting drafted much higher than No. 144 overall, according to Sports Illustrated via Bleacher Report,
“I think it's crazy that he dropped that far in the draft,” Jefferson said. “(And) I definitely don't think he should've dropped that far, just watching him the previous seasons and seeing the different things that he did at Colorado. I definitely thought that he should've been drafted in that first, second round. (But) I guess it's just more fire for him and more chip on his shoulder that he can use going into the league.”
Article Continues BelowAdding fuel to the thoughts behind Jefferson’s comments, the Vikings’ quarterback room ranked fourth-worst in the NFL, according to cbssports.com.
“The Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy 10th overall out of Michigan with an eye on him being their starting quarterback in the future,” Garrett Podell wrote. “And they let Sam Darnold walk this offseason to accelerate that timeline. However, it's unclear how much faith they have in McCarthy fully being ready to roll in 2025 after tearing his meniscus in the 2024 preseason. O'Connell confirmed Minnesota “evaluated” Aaron Rodgers and is “hopeful” McCarthy is the team's starting quarterback. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.”
If McCarthy fails, what would Howell offer? Not much, if you watched the Commanders play in 2023.
“Howell led the NFL with 612 pass attempts while playing on a team with the league's worst defense,” Podell wrote. “He also threw as many interceptions, 21 (most in the NFL), as touchdowns as a result of forcing the ball downfield to try and make up for the porous defense.”
The Vikings also have rookie Max Brosmer, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota.
Not a lot to like there. But there are many questions about whether Sanders will turn into a legitimate NFL starter.