When the Minnesota Vikings allowed now Super Bowl-winning QB Sam Darnold to walk in free agency, it looked like a risky choice, but an understandable one. Well, if the Vikings knew what the future would look like, they would have kept Darnold.
Last season, J.J. McCarthy really struggled as the starter, which made sense, given it was his first time playing after tearing his meniscus and missing the year. With the Vikings being a win-now team, uncertainty at the quarterback position can’t happen and will affect the rest of the roster, especially star wideout Justin Jefferson.
Steve Smith Sr. Speaks on the Situation Justin Jefferson Is In With the Vikings
Jefferson has never played with an elite quarterback, yet he still puts up excellent numbers. He usually ends the season in the top 10 in impact scores on PFSN WR Impact Metric, and usually, those scores are in the high 80s to low 90s. But last year was different.
With McCarthy and Carson Wentz at quarterback, Jefferson finished the 2025 season ranked 32nd and with a 77.5 impact score. That is a major drop-off for his career, and what makes it worse is that he was healthy the entire season.
Keeping the star receiver happy should be a priority for the Vikings, and they can do that by fixing the quarterback situation, but NFL legend Steve Smith Sr. does not think that will happen this season. He spoke about the Vikings’ current QB battle between Kyler Murray and McCarthy on ESPN’s “Get Up”:
“You know who can beat J.J. McCarthy? Anybody with a heartbeat!”
Steve Smith Sr. on the Vikings’ QB battle 😳 pic.twitter.com/OllxH1ocg6
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 29, 2026
“Justin Jefferson probably needs to read that book that A.J. Brown was using on the sideline,” Smith said. “I don’t see a chance. Do you know who can beat J.J. McCarthy? Anybody with a heartbeat. And Kyler Murray, good luck. I hope things improve for him. I hope he stays off the Call of Duty and starts getting to his playbook.”
When Smith mentioned Jefferson doing what Brown did with the Philadelphia Eagles, he was referring to the time the latter was seen reading a book on the sideline, which was assumed as a protest to his lack of a role in the offense.
The deterioration of Brown’s relationship with the team has been widely reported, and it may lead to a trade this offseason, which is something the Vikings need to avoid with Jefferson.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
Smith also took a shot at McCarthy, explaining that he is probably going to lose the QB competition and that Murray will win by default. The next reference he made was to Murray and playing the video game Call of Duty. It has been a recurring conversation from analysts throughout Murray’s career that he is more worried about playing video games than about studying film or the playbook.
Although Smith was making jokes, what he laid out is the real situation Jefferson will have to deal with in 2026.
