Dissecting Jefferson's comments on Murray
Mike Florio digs into Justin Jefferson's recent comments on why he's eager to play with veteran quarterback Kyler Murray, who is aiming to "rewind" his career in Minnesota.
Video Transcript
Today, the Vikings return for their off-season workouts, year five of Kevin O'Connell.
Some would say this is a significant year for him.
He's gone playoffs, no playoffs, playoffs, no playoffs.
Last year finished strong with five straight wins after it looked like they were going to have a disastrous season, maybe their worst season since two thousand eleven, which was their worst season since nineteen eighty-four.
They rarely have free-fall, just awful, contend for the top overall pick seasons.
Rarely happens.
They got those five straight wins, and of course, part of the cost is they're picking at eighteen now instead of in the top ten, but that's okay.
It's about culture.
It's about winning.
It's about laying the foundation for a brighter future.
One of the bright parts of the past has been Justin Jefferson.
He's now entering year number seven.
Seven.
He's under contract three more seasons.
He was not as productive last year, in part because J.J. McCarthy, first-year starter, second-year quarterback, and Jefferson didn't click on the field.
They seemed to click off the field.
Justin Jefferson seems to really like J.J. McCarthy, seems to support J.J. McCarthy.
Now, Kyler Murray is in town.
On the first day back for the off-season program, Justin Jefferson met with reporters and had some comments about the arrival of the twenty nineteen first overall pick and the quarterback competition that will ensue.
Here is some of what Jefferson had to say.
I'm definitely looking for those, you know, big, exciting plays.
you know, definitely looking forward to his speed, his quickness, his arm strength that he's, he's shown countless times over the years.
and then it's just, you know, for J.J., for s- for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability, that type of talent, you know, he's gotta step it up a little bit.
So, it's good to-- for him to, you know, feel that type of pressure and to really, you know, lock in a little bit and say, i-i-it's, it's either now or, you know, I'm gonna take that backseat again.
So it's all a competitive mindset when it comes to these type of things.
so it's all about who's ready for that moment and who's ready to step up and, take that initiative.
Justin Jefferson said in the past, "I'll play with whatever quarterback you put out there," because he's good enough to make any quarterback better than they otherwise would be.
Now, it's hard to tell, and it's kind of like Randy Moss oh five, oh six, where people were wondering, does he still have it?
How much of the dip in production during his stint with the Raiders was him?
How much of it was the circumstances?
How much of it was he just didn't really feel that opportunity to contend, and that takes a little bit something out of a guy?
I'm not saying that Justin Jefferson's at that point.
I just think we have to wonder, and I think this is the deeper question.
It's not about how many years left he has in his prime.
He's still one of the premier receivers in the game.
He's a very nice guy, team first, doesn't say anything he shouldn't say.
But what does he think?
I remember asking him a question at the Super Bowl after the twenty twenty-two season when they're facing fourth and eight against the Giants, and Kirk Cousins threw short of the sticks, when Justin Jefferson took off down the right sideline, and the narrative was he was double covered.
Yeah, the safety was flat-footed.
He was gonna run right by that safety.
He had beaten the guy at the line of scrimmage, and the safety was flat-footed.
And I made some comment to Justin about it, and he had that kind of look of recognition and smile.
He's never gonna say it, but man, if somebody else says it, ooh, that's what I'm thinking.
Sometimes you can't conceal that reaction.
And I say that because I wonder what he's thinking about the present and the future in Minnesota.
Yes, they've had two great regular seasons out of four.
They haven't won a playoff game.
Their last playoff game was an embarrassment.
Total organizational failure.
You can blame the loss to the Lions in week eighteen that year on Sam Darnold, who had the yips, and he did.
The fact they won the Super Bowl doesn't change the fact that he had the yips week eighteen of twenty twenty-four.
Doesn't change it.
Makes it more impressive that he overcame it, but doesn't change it.
Total team failure.
Lost out of the gates against the Rams on Monday night.
It was a horrible, suffocating, miserable night.
And that was just watching it, not being in it.
So what can they do this year?
And much of it depends upon the quarterback play.
Can Kyler Murray rewind to the early years of his career now that he's gotten out of Arizona, a place where everything went haywire the moment they tried to jam that stupid-ass, sorry London, homework clause into his contract?
Reason to be excited.
I saw Lincoln Riley talking recently about how excited he is.
He thinks Kyler Murray can have the same kind of impact that Caleb Williams had for the Bears last year, two of the former pupils of Lincoln Riley.
So we'll see what the Vikings can do.
Tough division.
Schedule not as difficult as last year.
The rotation, I can't remember where it takes them this year.
Don't have it in front of me.
Schedule's coming out fairly soon, by the way, obviously.
But that's when you really get an idea of how difficult or simple a team's schedule will be.
I mean, the Vikings had to go to Ireland and then to London, and when's the bye week?
NFC teams have nine or have eight home games.
Is it eight home games this year?
It's nine home games this year.
Even number years, NFC has nine.
Odd number years, AFC has nine.
And once we get to eighteen, it won't matter anymore.
The NFC South is part of the rotation for the Vikings.
That's good.
And then they have the AFC East, I believe.
I believe it's the AFC East and the NFC South.
And third place schedule, not fourth place, because the Lions ended up in fourth place.
The Vikings are the long shot to win the division.
And it is amazing to see the Bears at plus three fifty.
They won the division last year.
Gamblers wagering on narrative.
The Lions, even though they finished in fourth place, the Lions are still the Lions.
They're still the kneecap biters.
The Bears were the fluke.
I don't know how much of a fluke they were
