Justin Jefferson is back at just the right time for Vikings

Yahoo

6 hours ago

Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton discuss the Minnesota wide receiver's return to practice and why he is so pivotal to the team's chances of contending this season.
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Video Transcript
Justin Jefferson, he is back on the practice field for the Minnesota Vikings.
Caroline, Justin Jefferson is obviously such a huge part of this offense.
He's such a huge part of what the expectation is.
I mean, for him to be back on the field is just a reminder.
I don't think the Vikings have any shot at reaching their full potential, obviously, especially with JJ McCarthy at the quarterback position unless they have all of Justin Jefferson from day one.
I mean, if you ask me, do the Vikings need Justin Jefferson to be successful this season, and you can define success however you would like, I think it's the easiest question that I would ever answer in the history of my life, and it is yes.
It is unequivocally yes.
I don't need to stutter, I don't need to think on that.
I don't need to marinate.
It is yes.
Justin Jefferson is unequivocally so important.
And pivotal for the success of the Minnesota Vikings.
And that is for so many reasons, and I think at the top of that list is JJ McCarthy, and JJ McCarthy, you know, if you ask me who would be kind of a, a spicy pick for fantasy, I chose JJ McCarthy.
KOC was a really big reason for that, that I believe in Kevin O'Connell being able to create a healthy ecosystem for a young quarterback to thrive.
And because of Justin Jefferson, that a young quarterback's best friends are reliable tight end, a veteran running back, and a wide receiver that you can kind of yellow ball and say, 'F it,' he's down there somewhere.
Justin Jefferson is that type of guy.
So it's great to see that he's back out on the football field, that football is a more fun sport, and that the NFL is a more fun league when Justin Jefferson is part of it.
I just can't believe in this Vikings squad though if Justin Jefferson is not available for the better part of 17 games.
I had the chance to talk to Justin a couple of weeks ago, uh, for Yahoo.
You can check out the full interview on the Yahoo Sports YouTube page.
And one of the things that he said that sticks in my head that actually ended up running all over the country on different articles, we were talking about JJ and I said, I asked for his impressions, and he said, I just need JJ to believe in himself as much as I believe in him.
And in that moment, what really hit me was Justin Jefferson is that leader.
He is that guy.
And there's a confidence that comes when you're a quarterback and you know you've got somebody that can help you.
You know, there's a confidence that comes from knowing that every throw doesn't have to be perfect and that all you have to do sometimes is get the ball in the vicinity and the receiver can make that play.
There's a confidence that comes in knowing that you're throwing to JJ or throwing to Justin Jefferson, I guess.
But there's an element of this that we have to remember, that all of that, all of this is about a young quarterback that hasn't played a snap of meaningful football in a very long time, stepping on the field and getting as comfortable as he can as quickly as possible.
And sometimes you need that presence, that confidence, that swagger to come from somebody else to help lift you up.
I think that's natural and human in these, in these situations.
JJ is.
An interesting kid at the quarterback position.
I talked to him when he was at Michigan before the national championship game, and he's just a different dude in the way he's wired.
He is that, that kid that sits on one sideline and meditates before and, you know, he's very calm and measured and everything he says.
I think there's a yin and yang that is really beneficial for the Vikings and having Justin Jefferson and his personality and his swagger and his confidence, all these things on the field.
It's not just about what it brings to the play.
It's about what it brings to the players around him, and that's part of what Justin Jefferson is priceless for.
So to your point, Caroline, no, the Vikings can't reach their full potential, not just because Justin Jefferson is one of, if not the best wide receiver in the NFL, but also because I think just as a personality, they need the human being of Justin Jefferson on the field also.
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