Justin Jefferson shares unfiltered thoughts on Vikings' QB decision as Sam Darnold free agency looms

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of decisions to make, including the quarterback position. Sam Darnold was the starting QB last season but he is an unrestricted free agent while J.J. McCarthy was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and missed the entire campaign with a knee injury. While speaking to Athlon Sports, Justin Jefferson was asked what he would do with the QB situation.

"Luckily, that ain't my decision," Jefferson said on Thursday. "I'm sitting back, and I'm waiting for all of these decisions to be made. I'm really just showing up and being myself and making the plays that I make. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what we're going to do with Sam, if we're going to bring him back. Of course, J.J. is going to have his opportunity to make some plays and to see if he's going to be the starter."

However, no matter who is going to be the QB for the Vikings next season, Jefferson believes in his ability to dominate.

"I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do with Sam and the moves that we're going to make, but I'm always confident in myself," Jefferson said. "It don't matter who's going to be throwing the ball. I'm going to make a play for sure."

Jefferson had a great season, finishing with 103 receptions on 154 targets for 1,533 yards (14.9 yards per catch) while tying a career-high 10 touchdowns.

What will the Minnesota Vikings do with QB position?

The Minnesota Vikings have a good amount of cap space to work with if they want to explore re-signing Sam Darnold. They have the seventh-largest cap space with $58 million available, according to Over the Cap. While his contract figures are not known, bringing Darnold back would be a massive return in a tough NFC North division.

The Vikings can keep J.J. McCarthy as a backup or look to move him in the offseason as Darnold is still young and has a lot of NFL seasons ahead of him. The chemistry with the receivers shows that Darnold is the better choice. Having three different QBs in three years is likely not ideal for the Vikings to have success.