Many Vikings fans probably have strong opinions about what would have happened this season if the team had not prioritized J.J. McCarthy and allowed Sam Darnold to leave last offseason. Apparently, some Vikings players have their own opinions on the matter as well.
One of those players is Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who was recently asked about his thoughts on the team’s acquisition of Sam Darnold during an interview with Sports Seriously. Jefferson, a four-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, tied a career high with 10 touchdown catches in the 2024 season and ranked third in his career with 1,533 yards.
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As a team, the Vikings went 14-3 and advanced to the NFL playoffs with an explosive offense led by Darnold and Jefferson. But this season, Darnold has performed similarly to what he did with the Minnesota Seahawks and led the team to a 14-3 regular season record before advancing to the playoffs. Now, he’s leading Seattle to a showdown with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Meanwhile, McCarthy was plagued by injuries and the Vikings finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, Jefferson admitted he also wonders what would have happened if Darnold returned to the team last season. While he admitted the Vikings didn’t get a level playing field this year due to the team’s injury woes, he does see the Vikings being in a better position with Darnold at quarterback.
“Absolutely. I mean, absolutely. Everybody knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year and how we’ve dealt with it. But to have a quarterback that’s been with us for a season, he knows the game, he knows the playbook, he knows the players,” Jefferson said. “I do feel like we’re going to do better. But that’s what it is; it’s working towards newer, better things. I’m happy and proud that he was able to make that happen this year.”
This article originally appeared on The Touchdown: Justin Jefferson Has Brutally Honest Thoughts on Vikings’ Sam Darnold Move