Justin Jefferson has shown that he can produce no matter who throws him the ball. Last year he did it with a rotation of Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens. Despite missing time with a hamstring injury, he still eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards.
In 2024, though, as the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, he will have to do more right away.
The locker room is reeling from the news that first-round pick J.J. McCarthy will be out for the entire season. That means Sam Darnold is the guy throwing to Jefferson. The highest receiving total for someone who has had Darnold as his quarterback for a season is DJ Moore, who had 1,157 receiving yards when he was in Carolina in 2021. Next closest? Jamison Crowder with 833 yards in 2020.
Jefferson is far and away the most talented receiver that Darnold has played with, but he still needs to get the ball to him. In the wake of McCarthy’s injury, the pressure on Darnold has been ratcheted up, but he isn’t being paid what Jefferson is. Fairly or unfairly, more pressure will be on Jefferson as the Vikings look to salvage the season.