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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Aside from the obvious, Governor Tim Walz’s decision to forgo a third term gives him the opportunity to focus entirely on the road ahead without the constraints of partisan considerations. We are now a month away from the opening of our next legislative session, and there is an absence of discussion relative to where we are going.

Both nationally and in Minnesota , there has been a shift away from intelligent discussion of public policy to endless partisan warfare with a deadening impact on the public. Just consider this: Only 17% of Americans trust their government and 85% do not believe elected officials care about “what people like them think” (Pew Research).

The upcoming State of the State speech gives Walz a unique opportunity to set a new tone in Minnesota. One that minimizes partisan conflict and builds partnerships for success. While the fraud controversy dominates, it is imperative to restore competence and integrity, and a first step would be to work with our state’s business community and create another LEAP (Loaned Executive Action Program) whereby business experts work with the state’s management to improve efficiency and competency, as was done by Gov. Wendell Anderson in the 1970s.

A necessary second step is to restore honesty to state government, and this means the abolition of legislative caucus fundraising, which involves the granting of special favors to wealthy donors as outlined in a University of Minnesota study released in May, 2021. Among those favors is the opportunity for special interests to “shape” legislation. This is both corrupt and illegal.

Gov. Walz can utilize the upcoming State of the State speech to bring Minnesotans together and restore both competence and honesty to our governance.

A bit of history may be helpful. Our Constitution requires the governor to report to the Legislature on the condition of the state, although it does not specify content or time. Gov. Harold LeVander, in 1969, transformed that minor happening into the dominant political event of the year by bringing all three branches of government together and, with all the appropriate pomp and formality, having the governor deliver a true State of the State speech outlining a clear vision for Minnesota’s future. Television and radio carried the message statewide while newspapers analyzed it in depth. That moment helped the public understand that principled policy inevitably produced good politics. And, perhaps, its greatest strength was that it focused on the betterment of Minnesota.

This attention to quality of life, captured in the State of the State address, helped rally Minnesotans around common goals.

On August 13, 1973, TIME magazine featured a smiling Gov. Wendell Anderson in a red lumber jacket, proudly holding a freshly caught fish against a sparkling Minnesota lake. Across the cover was the headline, “The Good Life in Minnesota”, and inside was a story titled, “The State That Works”, which praised Anderson’s leadership and the spirit of Minnesota governance during a time when the nation was mired in the Watergate scandal. Specifically cited were clean government, educational funding reforms (the “Minnesota Miracle”), low dropout rates, and open governance.

That success was no accident. It came from a meaningful partnership with leaders from business, labor, academia, media, the arts, non-profits and government all working together toward shared goals.

A key catalyst was the governor’s State of the State Address, which served as our roadmap to a better tomorrow. For the next 40-plus years, it compelled the political system to elevate public policy above partisanship and vision above cynicism.

Sadly, that focus has faded. The timing of the address has drifted into March or April, and, too often, it serves little purpose beyond partisan theater. This decline reflects a deeper erosion in that it has created a culture of mediocrity that has seeped into too many corners of our government and weakened our collective will to improve.

Today, Minnesota must once again choose the Road to Excellence, and that begins with the governor delivering a substantive and unifying State of the State Address at the opening of the legislative session. This would involve defining a vision that brings Minnesota together and fully committed to betterment.

As Robert Frost reminded us, two roads diverge before us. One sustains the status quo; the other requires courage, clarity and commitment. Let us take the road to excellence — and make all the difference.

Arne Carlson, a former Independent Republican governor of Minnesota, wrote this column on behalf of himself, retired DFL legislators Tom Berkelman of Duluth and Janet Entzel of Minneapolis and Duke Skorich, president of Zenith Research, Duluth.

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It’s getting pretty darn pricey to get into a national park these days — at least one that charges admission — but if you plan ahead, you can visit on one of the annual days that don’t charge fees. This can save you $50 or even more, but it’s a good idea to plan in advance.

For starters, I strongly recommend getting yourself out of bed before sunrise (c’mon, you can do it) so you arrive at the park before it gets crowded. This means a beautiful, uncrowded drive watching the sun come up and an easy hunt for parking, plus hiking trails with hardly anyone else around.

Then, when the thundering hordes start arriving to take advantage of the free day, you’ve already been to the most popular places. And you can hit the lesser known spots, or, if you’re like me, even go to a nice leisurely late lunch and then head home.

For 2026, there will be eight federal holidays when Americans (and only Americans and legal residents) will have free entry to the national parks, but this year not on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19) or Juneteenth (June 19) — two holidays honoring Black history. Those have been eliminated.

Free access was added on Flag Day (June 14), which also happens to be President Trump’s birthday.

Here are the 2026 fee-free dates:

Feb. 16: Presidents Day (Washington’s Birthday)
May 25: Memorial Day
June 14: Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday
July 3-5: Independence Day weekend
Aug. 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
Sept. 17: Constitution Day
Oct. 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
Nov. 11: Veterans Day

You don’t need to sign up or register. But check if you need reservations. You’ll need to go to recreation.gov and search for the park you want and “timed entry” to find the reservation information. Also, note that free days are now only for American legal residents. Foreigners will pay much higher fees.

Here are the nine national parks in California: Channel Islands (the boat ride won’t be free), Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Lassen, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Yosemite. (Note that Yosemite’s still going to be snowy in February, and probably Lassen and Kings Canyon too.)

Learn more: nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm#free_entrance_days

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