J. Jetta

IN FIVE NFL seasons, primarily with Darnold and Cousins as his quarterbacks, Jefferson has made two playoff appearances. The Vikings are 0-2 in those games. But Jefferson, 25, has been so consistently productive during that time that few realize the gravity of his early-career accomplishments: He is the only player in NFL history to have more than one 1,500-yard season before the age of 26. He has three.

As wild as it might sound, the 2024 campaign was a slog at times, as Jefferson spent training camp familiarizing himself with Darnold and McCarthy, who likely would have gotten on the field at some point had he not suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee that sidelined him for the season. The Vikings attempted the second-fewest passes in a season during Jefferson's career (548, 18th the NFL), and he went without a touchdown reception in more consecutive games (six) than ever before.

There were multiple games in which Darnold did not target Jefferson until the second quarter, and there was one -- Week 10 in Jacksonville -- when he threw three interceptions while trying to force the ball Jefferson's way. But Jefferson accomplished his first goal for 2024, playing in all 17 games while participating in a career-high 93.5% of the offense's snaps after a right hamstring tear cost him seven games in 2023.

Jefferson is headed toward playing with at least his fifth -- and possibly sixth -- different quarterback since the start of the 2023 season. He caught passes from Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall and Darnold in 27 games during that period, and the Vikings' 2025 starter remains undetermined.

The Vikings could bring back Darnold, turn the keys over to McCarthy or sign a different veteran to play until McCarthy is ready. Jefferson, however, has repeatedly declined to weigh in on the QB carousel despite the lack of continuity.

"It doesn't really matter to me," he said the day after the Vikings' wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. "It's not really something that I'm making a big deal about. Whoever they decide to either bring back or to have in this locker room, we've got to make it work, and we've got to do whatever it takes to get a Super Bowl."

ESPN