Justin Jefferson: It’s good for J.J. McCarthy to feel the pressure that Kyler Murray brings

At the end of the 2025 season, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was asked about quarterback J.J. McCarthy and said that he “would love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy” but that picture looked a little different when the team started their offseason program on Monday.

The Vikings signed Kyler Murray after the Cardinals released him and that makes McCarthy’s path back to the starting lineup a more difficult one over the coming months. Jefferson said on Monday that he has spent time working with McCarthy since the end of last season and finds the quarterback “a lot more confident” than he was a year ago, but also said he’s enthused about Murray’s ability to make “big, exciting plays” in the offense.

That ability could push McCarthy out of the No. 1 job, but Jefferson outlined why the situation can ultimately be a positive for the quarterback.

“I’m definitely looking forward to [Murray’s] speed, his quickness, his arm strength that he’s shown countless times over the years,” Jefferson said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “And then for J.J., for somebody to enter that room with that type of ability, that type of talent, he’s got to step it up a little bit. So it’s good for him to feel that type of pressure and to really lock in a little bit and say, ‘It’s either now or I’m going to take that back seat 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.”

There’s a lot to play out before the Vikings name their quarterback for Week 1, but there’s little doubt that McCarthy will have to raise his level of play to remain part of the team’s long-term plans.