The Vikings’ quarterback decision is about more than just who looks best in training camp. According to Mike Florio, Justin Jefferson may end up being the real swing factor in how Minnesota sorts out the battle.
Florio laid it out Monday on PFT Live, saying Jefferson’s buy-in could shape the entire locker room around Kevin O’Connell’s choice.
“I think the key to all of this is going to be Justin Jefferson,” Florio said on Monday via PFT Live. “If O'Connell has Jefferson on board with his decision, Jefferson, I believe, will make sure the rest of the team is on board with it too.”
That matters in Minnesota because Jefferson still hasn’t won a playoff game since arriving there. The Vikings can’t afford to let their top receiver get restless with the direction of the team.
“Because if it's good with Jefferson, the guy who is the most affected, one of the highest paid receivers in the league, highest paid player on the team… If Justin Jefferson says Kyler Murray's my guy, [even] if Murray would not seem to be at McCarthy's level when the decision is made, then I think it will be okay,” Florio added. “And I don't think that O'Connell's going to go against what Jefferson wants.
He may have to talk Jefferson into O'Connell's decision, and I think Jefferson will defer to him. Now, he may question O'Connell's judgment, based upon how things play out, but the key is going to be to get Jefferson on board.”
Florio also said J.J. McCarthy still has a real path to winning the job, and he suggested Jefferson might even lean toward McCarthy because the two already know each other.
In the end, though, O’Connell is the one who will make the call. Still, Jefferson’s voice figures to carry serious weight when Minnesota heads into training camp and sorts out its quarterback future.
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