Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Addresses J.J. McCarthy Growing Pains

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been here before.

Starting his third training camp with a third different starting quarterback in as many years, the Vikings superstar has maintained that it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball.

However, J.J. McCarthy has required something new from Jefferson.

At practice on July 24, Jefferson admitted that there has been a need for “patience” with the 22-year-old quarterback who is returning from a nine-month recovery from meniscus surgery to take the starting reins.

“He’s pretty much a rookie,” Jefferson said. “Last year pretty much doesn’t count for him. He’s still new to the scheme… you have to have that patience. You’re not really expecting him to have the same mindset as a veteran. You can’t really have that expectation from him.”

While Jefferson’s words offer some alarm, the growth McCarthy has shown left him with a more encouraging message.

Justin Jefferson: We Expect J.J. McCarthy to Be Great

The 2025 Vikings are carrying steeper expectations with the additions made this offseason. With over $300 million awarded in new contracts that catalyzed an overhaul of the offensive and defensive lines, the Vikings are true believers that they can go far into the postseason.

How far that might be is on McCarthy to a degree — but the young quarterback has also confirmed his teammates’ beliefs of a promising season.

“We do have an expectation of him being great, him coming out here every single day and working his butt off and progressing every single day,” Jefferson added. “We do see that progression just on the second day of camp. It’s coming along for him. You can see the confidence he has out there.”

NFL Insider Offers Encouraging Takeaways From Vikings Camp

Attending the second day of Vikings training camp, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer gave glowing reviews across the board for the Vikings.

“My first takeaway, this is a 14-win team a year ago. Loaded across the board. The staff returns intact. And so the one question is what happens to the quarterback position,” Breer said.

Breer’s takeaway from McCarthy is that his progress, which Jefferson mentioned, is showing almost instantly.

“They’ve seen progress, not just day after day, but drill after drill from him,” Breer said. “He’s really locked in. He’s starting to find his voice as a leader with the team, which is a big thing for a quarterback. And they’re starting to see some nuances come along.”

McCarthy has shown progress in layering throws over the middle of the field, which is a staple of Kevin O’Connell‘s offense.

A third takeaway from Breer is that new center Ryan Kelly, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, is helping McCarthy along at making the correct protection calls pre-snap.

“Bringing in Ryan Kelly from the Colts, they had good institutional knowledge on him. The guy that drafted him in Indianapolis, Ryan Grigson, works here with the Vikings,” Breer said. “What they were hoping was that he would be able to come in and help a young quarterback with his head for the game and also make them bigger and stronger on the offensive line. You can check both those boxes. He is helping J.J. with his ability to adjust and change things on the fly, and he has made them bigger and stronger up front.”