J. Jefferson "Never will I downplay anybody in the media..."
Justin Jefferson vows to return to NFL preeminence
There was a time, not all that long ago, that Justin Jefferson was regarded as the best receiver in the NFL, without question.
After 2025, there are plenty of questions about where he fits among the league’s elite pass catchers. He believes that opinions will change in time.
“Not yet,” Jefferson recently told Mike Silver of The Athletic. “Not yet. But they will [know] after this year —I’ll tell you that.”
It helps that he has a quarterback he fully believes in, both as to what he can do with his legs and as to what he can do with his arm.
“What excites me is his ability to just be an athlete,” Jefferson said regarding Kyler Murray. “Everybody knows what he does when the ball is in his hands, running the ball and being able to create time back there in the pocket. When a play might be dead, he’s able to kind of move with his feet and make something happen. So, you’re always alive, and you’re always just expecting that the ball is going to come your way.
“But his throwing ability is also something that has really, really surprised me. While he was in Arizona, I didn’t really keep track and pay attention to his arm talent. And seeing the different type of throws he’s making, where he’s throwing the ball, it’s been really, really surprising me.”
This year, Jefferson may be in position to repeatedly heap praise on his quarterback. Last year, he conspicuously bit his tongue. Because he knew what the reaction would be.
“That one comment that I [might] make about one of my teammates might make headlines and be the trending topic, and that might be a bad look on the team and for me as well,” Jefferson told Silver. “So just keeping it in house, communicating with my teammates personally and letting them know what’s going on . . . even talking with J.J. [McCarthy] last season and making sure his head is on right, with all of the negativity. Never will I downplay anybody in the media, no matter how bad it is.”
Through it all, Jefferson still finished with 1,048 receiving yards — his sixth straight 1,000-yard season.
This year, who knows? Maybe he’ll turn the clock back to 2022, when he was a first-team All-Pro and the NFL offensive player of the year.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
Justin Jefferson, the anti-diva.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
Things would have gotten even uglier last season if he ranted in the press
Glad he took the road he did
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
#Vikings QB’s JJ McCarthy and Carson Wentz split reps with the second team today in practice, per @SeifertESPN. pic.twitter.com/LxFpnYSHuQ
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 25, 2026
pretty soon they'll be news flashing who had the salad and who had the turkey sandwich for lunch...
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Havoc wrote:
Jefferson is probably my favorite player all time for this reason. He’s a consummate professional who gives his all to the game and his fans.
Yup, second best thing about him.
Really breaks that WR mold.
StickierBuns wrote:
https://x.com/vikingzfanpage/status/2092345908608344547?s=46&t=ohFAAgt56m6anXyDpx1btQ
This it not a small deal
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
—George Orwell
MaroonBells wrote:
This it not a small deal
No, No, No, No, No....
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
MaroonBells wrote:
This it not a small deal
Then trade JJ and be done with it. Take the circus side show people with it. Enough. Who cares anymore about it. Just trade him. Or cut him.
purplefaithful wrote:
No, No, No, No, No....
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
Canthony wrote:
Then trade JJ and be done with it. Take the circus side show people with it. Enough. Who cares anymore about it. Just trade him. Or cut him.
I disagree. I don't see it as a circus side show but rather a process. No different than the process Turner has been going thru since 2024.
I hope the Vikings stick by him and let him sort it out.
What he's done the last 6 months hasn't produced discernable improvement. JJ wasn't getting what KO has been telling him. His compass was off and needed a reality check. It's necessary if he's gonna improve.
We'll see?
Don't trade JJ.
Mattyman wrote:
I disagree. I don't see it as a circus side show but rather a process. No different than the process Turner has been going thru since 2024.
I hope the Vikings stick by him and let him sort it out.
What he's done the last 6 months hasn't produced discernable improvement. JJ wasn't getting what KO has been telling him. His compass was off and needed a reality check. It's necessary if he's gonna improve.
We'll see?
On the flip side, Bill Polian used to say the only thing worse than missing on a first round pick is continuing to live with the mistake.
This will bristle some, but it’s the hard truth. SF moved on from Trey Lance with less than 10 starts and 3 firsts invested. JJ hasn’t shown any improvement. Zero. Zip. Nada. Hopefully he has a Lewis Cine preseason finale and you recover a 4th. Today’s news doesn’t help.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
With J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz reportedly splitting second-team reps on Tuesday, McCarthy could be gone by Sunday, when the rosters reduce to 53. https://t.co/Iv3jBiuHId
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 25, 2026
StickierBuns wrote:
https://x.com/profootballtalk/status/2092383295874990138?s=46&t=ohFAAgt56m6anXyDpx1btQ
Nfw!!
Clickbait at its worst…
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
StickierBuns wrote:
https://x.com/profootballtalk/status/2092383295874990138?s=46&t=ohFAAgt56m6anXyDpx1btQ
Florio is so good at trolling and rage baiting the masses.
MAD GAINZ wrote:
Florio is so good at trolling and rage baiting the masses.
He's easy to ignore!
MAD GAINZ wrote:
Florio is so good at trolling and rage baiting the masses.
hogjowlsjohnny wrote:
He's easy to ignore!
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
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