How Justin Jefferson and JJ McCarthy are building chemistry in OTAs

The star receiver explained on Monday why it was important for him to be in attendance at voluntary workouts

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — It was just warm-ups but we saw a flash of brilliance between JJ McCarthy and Justin Jefferson during Monday’s OTA practice at TCO Performance, which was open to media.

Into a whipping wind, McCarthy threw a go ball about 40 yards downfield on a line to Jefferson, who accelerated to full speed, reached out with his left hand and tipped the ball to himself for the catch.

Kevin O’Connell has been clear that OTAs are the “learning phase” of the offseason but he was referring to learning the offensive system. It’s also the learning phase for McCarthy and Jefferson as they learn how to play together. In recent years, Jefferson hasn’t attended OTAs, whether that was due to contract negotiations or other obligations, and it didn’t make a lick of difference in the final results. This time around, he understood that getting on the same page with McCarthy from the outset was very important.

“It's definitely important…to build that connection with my teammates and especially with my quarterback,” Jefferson said after practice. “When when they asked for me to be here and asked for me to be a part of it, it was a no-brainer.”

Last year during the spring and training camp, Jefferson and McCarthy were two ships passing in the night. Jefferson worked exclusively with starter Sam Darnold, who took nearly 100% of the first-team reps from the beginning of the offseason program through camp/preseason, while McCarthy worked with the second unit before tearing his meniscus in his lone preseason game.

We have grown to think that just about anybody with two legs and one arm could throw footballs to Jefferson and have success. After all, his career numbers when targeted look like someone’s MVP case. Per PFF, when any Vikings QB has tossed the football in the direction of No. 18 during his career, they have completed 70% of passes and registered a 111.1 QB rating. But for Jefferson there is a little more nuance to the process than just suggesting McCarthy chuck the ball toward him. He understands that quarterbacks have to come to understand how he plays the position because it differs from most receivers he would have played with in the past.

“I feel like it's more for the quarterback to see the tempo of the routes, seeing how I run the routes, seeing the different moves that I add on to my routes,” Jefferson said. “The difference between me and a different receiver is what I put on the top of my routes. The flavor I have on the top, the stride that I have with my routes and just knowing just certain routes that I'll break it off at distance that another receiver might break it off a little earlier…. So all of that just goes into play and the more we're out here and having those reps, the better we're going to be.”

How is he throwing the ball?

“He definitely has an arm, that's for sure,” Jefferson said. “He can definitely zip it whenever he needs.”

Beyond the physical part of McCarthy passing the ball to Jefferson is another key dynamic: Leadership.

McCarthy is in a unique position of taking over a team that is filled with veterans who are ready to win.

“I try to kind of [emphasize] to him: It's just all about being confident,” Jefferson said. Just having that confidence out here… Just let everything happen. Don't try to make the best play, every single play. Just go out there and just be himself.”

So what has he observed after two weeks of OTAs about the way McCarthy is leading the team?

“First of all he understands the role that he has now,” Jefferson said. “He understands that he is the starting quarterback at this moment. So I feel like he brings that with him to practice knowing that he has to have that leadership. He's the captain of our team. So I feel like him being right beside me and him trying to learn as much as he needs to. I feel like just his awareness of the game and his intelligence has really grown.”

From Jefferson’s perspective, he has grown into a leadership role on offense over the last year since the Vikings moved on from veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Asked what he learned in 2024 during his first season as a more vocal part of the leadership group.

“That I actually can do it,” Jefferson said. “Everybody that knows me knows that growing up I was a more shy guy, more leading by example than by my voice. So I just had to learn just being vocal, learning that I have some type of influence. So just whenever I have some type of encouraging words, or just have that chance to bring up a team and to break us down, that all makes a difference. And even just being here makes a difference.”

Jefferson being in Eagan is part of an overall feeling from veteran players on the Vikings roster that there is an opportunity to be a serious contender again this season. It was not lost on the veteran leaders that the front office spent big money on free agents this offseason. There is a sense of urgency that seems different from previous years where they were often talking during the spring about trying to prove prognosticators wrong rather than being all-in on aiming for a deep playoff run.

“I feel like just based off of last year, us having 14 wins, the confidence is there,” Jefferson said. “We have that confidence to say we have good players on this team to get to that point, to be a top team in this league. So it's just all about just coming together, bonding as a team, which we did last year. And we felt like that team last year was a very special team. So just carrying on that same mindset to making sure everybody is together as one and just coming out here and just putting in that work.”

ADDITIONAL PRACTICE NOTES