With the Vikings comfortably ahead of the Green Bay Packers last weekend, quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw a swing pass to star receiver Justin Jefferson for a short gain.
What looked like a rather innocuous play at the time ended up being the final snap McCarthy took in a season defined by its endless stream of ups and downs.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) runs past Green Bay Packers linebacker Jamon Johnson (48) on his way to a 1000 yards for the season in the second quarter of an NFL game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Jan 4, 2026. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
As soon as Jefferson got tackled, McCarthy signaled to the sideline, then left the game for good. He had been working through a small hairline fracture in his right hand and said after the game that he was worried about his ability to grip the ball.
“It killed me to pull myself out,” McCarthy said. “I’ve never done that before.”
The fact that McCarthy’s final throw went to Jefferson is almost poetic in that it perfectly encapsulates 1) the meat they feel was left on the bone this season and 2) the strides they hope to take together in the future.
“There’s so much room for us to grow by very simply throwing more routes together,” McCarthy said. “I love hanging out with him off the field, too. So, we’ll get really close there and be ready to go.”
Jefferson finished the season with 84 receptions for 1,048 yards and a pair of touchdowns, subpar by his standards. And that doesn’t sit right with him.
“We’re going to go to work,” Jefferson said. “That connection is going to grow more and more and more as we continue on.”
In the season finale, McCarthy seemed determined to get Jefferson the ball as much as possible. Asked if there was a throw from the game that he was most proud of, McCarthy highlighted a 12-yard completion to Jefferson on which he rolled to his right and fired downfield.
“That’s something we’ve been working on,” McCarthy said. “Just trust that he’s going to make the play if I put it to the spot.”
There seemed to be a lack of chemistry between McCarthy and Jefferson throughout the season. That partially stemmed from the fact that Jefferson missed most of training camp with strained hamstring.
“It impacted it,” Jefferson said. “Just because it’s less time to connect with each other.”
It was noticeable on the field as Jefferson averaged only 53.7 receiving yards per game with McCarthy as the starter. That also doesn’t include the pair of games that McCarthy left early due to a hairline fracture in his right hand.
Not that Jefferson seems too concerned about their connection in the long term. He’s been McCarthy’s biggest defender at times, and seems to have faith in the young signal caller’s potential.
“We need to get J.J. out of the real small bad habits that he had,” Jefferson said. “He’s still young. He still has room to grow. He still has time to blossom as a quarterback.”
Though he acknowledged that he has a lot of room to improve physically, mentally and emotionally, McCarthy maintained that his confidence was never shaken amid his struggles.
“I feel like confidence is something that’s innate,” McCarthy said. “You can’t let external factors shake it because then that’s not confidence.”
That mentality from McCarthy is easy for Jefferson to appreciate because that’s how the star receiver carries himself every time he steps on the field.
“He’s our guy right now,” Jefferson said. “My job is to connect with him during the offseason and get him to where we need to go.”
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