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Justin Jefferson could be the key for the Vikings quarterback question.
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said that the quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray will extend into training camp after declining to name a starter this week.
While Murray came into the offseason as the heavy favorite, it appears that the competition is much closer than anticipated. But ultimately a decision will need to be made sooner rather than later, and for former player Manti Te’o, the choice comes down to one thing.
“I am so glad that we showed Justin Jefferson because what’s going to decide for me is whoever Jefferson is the most comfortable with and whoever can get the ball to the man,” said Te’o on Good Morning Football. “Because let’s be real, last year the hardest thing was you couldn’t get the ball to probably the best wide receiver in the game.”
While Jefferson hasn’t explicitly said which quarterback he prefers, he revealed his thoughts on both throughout the offseason, and the Vikings could lean on him when making the final decision.
McCarthy, who was drafted to be the future of the franchise, struggled last season in his first year as a starter. Part of his issues were what Te’o eluded to, as he only completed 57-percent of his passes. But after getting selected 10th overall by the Vikings, it may be hard to move on from him after just 10 games.
“This is a first round draft pick,” continued Te’o. “If J.J. McCarthy wasn’t a first rounder, this a different conversation. The fact that McCarthy is a first round pick, that’s why you can’t just hand everything over to [Kyler].”
While the Viking may have some sunk-cost fallacy attributed to McCarthy, the more likely scenario is that he’s much improved from 2025, and his familiarity with the offense may give him a slight edge over Murray. But whichever quarterback the Vikings decide on will have to quickly catch up after splitting reps all summer.
As for Jefferson, who clearly hopes to know his starting quarterback in the near future, he doesn’t seem to have a horse in this race.
“At the end of the day, somebody’s going to have that job, whether it’s Kyler, whether it’s J.J,” said Jefferson. “So it’s just all about working with both of them to make sure that whoever is the starter, we’re dialed in, we’re ready to go and the connection, the relationship, all of that is dialed in and ready to go when the season starts.”
Jefferson also said he would be working with both quarterbacks during the summer break, or until a starter is decided. While he had his worst season in years with McCarthy, barely eclipsing 1,000-yards, it looks like he’s ready to run it back with the young signal caller if need be. But Jefferson has also publicly supported Murray in recent weeks, so it’s unclear whether he has a preference or not. It’s likely, though, that he wouldn’t reveal one either way.
Trevor Ripley Trevor Ripley is a Heavy writer covering the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. More about Trevor Ripley
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