The Minnesota Vikings still have plenty to clean up on offense, but Justin Jefferson isn’t sounding the alarm.
While the starters have seen limited preseason action, Jefferson has yet to take the field, and Minnesota’s first two exhibition games have done little to quiet questions about the unit’s rhythm. Even so, the star receiver sounds convinced the bigger story is coming once the games start to count on September 13 against the Green Bay Packers.
Jefferson spoke with The Athletic’s Michael Silver during joint practices against the Baltimore Ravens last week, and the conversation quickly turned to whether he still sees himself as the game’s top receiver. Jefferson’s answer was “not yet,” but he made it clear he expects that conversation to swing back in his favor this season.
“Not yet,” Jefferson said Thursday following a joint workout with the Baltimore Ravens at the Vikings’ training facility. “Not yet. But they will (know) after this year -I’ll tell you that.”
Jefferson, 27, wasn’t trying to posture. The way Silver described it, the message was less about bravado and more about confidence in Minnesota’s new quarterback, Kyler Murray, the former Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowler now leading the Vikings’ offense.
That connection matters to Jefferson, especially after a year in which Minnesota cycled through JJ McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer. Now Murray is in Eagan, and Jefferson is already sold on what he brings - not just as a passer, but as a creator.
“What excites me is his ability to just be an athlete. Everybody knows what he does when the ball is in his hands, running the ball and being able to create time back there in the pocket.
When a play might be dead, he’s able to kind of move with his feet and make something happen. So, you’re always alive, and you’re always just expecting that the ball is going to come your way.
“But his throwing ability is also something that has really, really surprised me. While he was in Arizona, I didn’t really keep track and pay attention to his arm talent. And seeing the different type of throws he’s making, where he’s throwing the ball, it’s been really, really surprising me.”
Justin Jefferson (via The Athletic)
That kind of quarterback fit is exactly what Jefferson has spent much of his career chasing. As Silver noted, some of the league’s best receivers have benefited from steady quarterback play, while others have had to keep adjusting to whoever is under center. Jefferson has been in that second group.
And even with the offensive inconsistency around him, Jefferson still delivered another productive season in 2025, finishing with 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns. It was his sixth straight year over 1,000 receiving yards, though the week-to-week dominance wasn’t always there. He topped 100 yards in just three games, had only one outing with 10 or more catches, and finished nine games with five receptions or fewer.
The hope in Minnesota is simple: if Murray can give Jefferson the kind of quarterback play that unlocks his best work, the offense should look a lot different. For Jefferson, that’s the expectation. And he’s not shy about what comes next.
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