Justin Jefferson on J.J. McCarthy taking over as Vikings starting QB: 'I want him to be just as confident as I am of him'
With their 2024 first-round draft pick out, the Vikings turned to veteran Sam Darnold, who helped lead them to a 14-3 record and a second playoff appearance in three seasons. Jefferson had another strong season finishing second in total receiving yards (1,533), sixth in total receptions (103) and tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (10). He also led the NFL in receptions of at least 20 yards with 28.
Now that McCarthy is healthy, Jefferson is trying to give his quarterback every chance to succeed in his first NFL season.
"As his teammate and as a captain of the team, just trying to make him dialed in every chance that I can," Jefferson told Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz. "Our lockers are right next to each other, so every chance that I get to talk to him about football, about anything that goes on outside of football. Just try to get to know him as much as I can because when the season comes and whenever we're locked in I want him to be just as confident as I am of him to make the plays out there."
Jefferson also talked about potentially participating in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
During the NFL's spring meetings in May, a proposal was passed that opened the door for players to take part in the event, which will debut in 2028. The 26-year-old Jefferson, a global flag football ambassador, said that while the LA Olympics are a few years away, he would be interested in going for gold for Team USA.
"If everything goes well and everything goes right for me, of course I would love to be a part of that team to compete for a gold medal," Jefferson told Fitz. "That's always been a dream and something that I've always wanted to accomplish, standing on that stage and getting that gold medal. To be an Olympian, that's something I've always dreamt of, but football was never in the Olympics. Now we finally have a chance, and it probably will be my only chance that I can get, so I feel like, why not?"
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