'He's a tremendous talent' J.J. McCarthy talks about Justin Jefferson, sends clear message about chemistry

The Minnesota Vikings made the decision this offseason to give the keys to quarterback J.J. McCarthy officially. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah laid the groundwork for McCarthy to take over during the last three offseasons, and he's walking into a great situation. Now that he's got the keys to the car, all eyes are on McCarthy when […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy speaks to the media after OTAs on Wednesday, May 28th
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy speaks to the media after OTAs on Wednesday, May 28th Vikings on Twitter/X

The Minnesota Vikings made the decision this offseason to give the keys to quarterback J.J. McCarthy officially. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah laid the groundwork for McCarthy to take over during the last three offseasons, and he's walking into a great situation.

Now that he's got the keys to the car, all eyes are on McCarthy when it comes to everything he does. How he handles practice, talks to the media, and his on-field growth day in and day out.

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J.J. McCarthy talks relationship with Justin Jefferson

Of all the players that McCarthy needs to develop chemistry with, wide receiver Justin Jefferson is arguably the most important of those. This is also the first time that Jefferson has been at OTAs since 2022. McCarthy talked about that and the leadership Jefferson provides.

"He's a tremendous talent, tremendous leader. But his leadership really shows up when he's here. And, you know, just being able to get, you know that chemistry building on and off the field has been invaluable.

"We spent a good amount of time, you know, the Wolves game was interesting, being miked up and all that. But, um, yeah, we spent a good amount of time together."

It's obvious from the public perception that they have a really good relationship, especially the two of them sitting courtside at the Timberwolves playoff game.

As important as those elements are for their relationship, the most important element is what they do on the field. McCarthy was directly asked about how much work they got together last year, and he gave both an honest and vague answer.

"Last year? I don't know the specific amount of reps, but I would say it's probably not as much as it is now. And it's every receiver that I'm with. It's that timing, those reps, all of that has to be built up over time. So, the more reps the better. And yeah, I just feel like we're not where we want to be, but we're going to be there when we need to." 

The honest admission about not being where they want to be is good, but also going the extra mile and saying they will be there is good stuff from the young quarterback.

This is the type of thing you want to see when he talks to the media.

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