For two straight springs, Justin Jefferson didn’t show up. No OTAs, no early offseason bonding, no route timing drills with the team. And yet, once the season kicked off, it was like he never missed a beat. New quarterback? No problem. He’s caught passes from five different ones since 2023. Still, he led the league in yards per game. While others logged reps in May, Jefferson waited until fall, then reminded everyone he didn’t need the warmup.

We’re talking about over five straight 1,000+ yard seasons and hauling in 1,077 and 1,533 yards the past two years. So, when he missed those OTAs last two years, no wonder the folks out there didn’t flinch. But this spring hits different. Justin Jefferson actually showed up at the Vikings‘ OTAs. But why? See, Minnesota is starting its new era with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

The Vikings selected McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, but he is yet to make his NFL debut. And get this, Coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t just want Jefferson there for the spotlight—he needed his energy and route savvy to spark up McCarthy. Think of it like establishing a quarterback-receiver relationship. After all, it’s best to sync your quarterback-receiver in early June rather than in July or extending it to August.

Justin arrived after a long time, no doubt. But at the end of the day, the veteran wideout actually showed up. Jefferson had a brief chat with the local media last week, during which he discussed his presence at the team’s OTAs and his decision to participate in the activities after skipping them in the previous two seasons. He called it “no‑brainer” to show up, and “definitely important” to dial in some serious QB chemistry.

“It’s definitely important to gain a little bit of sight of what the new year is going to look like, and to build that connection with my teammates and especially with my quarterback … It definitely feels great to be here a little earlier than normal,” Jefferson explained. For the past couple of years, Jefferson has been a late arrival to the practice sessions and has had little time to sync with his quarterbacks. Whether it was Sam Darnold last year, or Kirk Cousins the year before. The guy never changed.

But this year, Jefferson is keen on spending some extra time with his offensive teammates, especially McCarthy. To bond with them, to build that connection, and to make a difference this year. “It’s not really hard, I would say,” he explained, missing the OTAs, arriving late, and having less time to train with his teammates. “I mean, I’ve done it before. But it’s just having a little bit of extra time to really bond with the team, build that connection. And, of course, getting those reps with the quarterback, it makes a big difference.”

And it makes sense, given that the guy feels the OTAs are more for the quarterbacks than him. He’s just there to catch the passes, no matter who’s throwing the ball and how fast the ball is coming at his face. “I feel like it’s more for them than for me,” Jefferson continued. “It really doesn’t matter who’s throwing the ball. As soon as the ball gets close to my face, I’m gonna try to catch it.”

“It doesn’t matter how fast the ball is going, the spin of it, or if it’s coming from a lefty or a righty. I mean, my job is to catch the ball. So I feel like it’s more for the quarterback to see the tempo of the routes, seeing how I run the routes, seeing the different moves that I add to my routes, and I feel like working with that is more of a quarterback thing than a receiver thing.” Safe to say, Coach O’Connell didn’t just call Jefferson to build a connection with McCarthy. Nope.

In fact, the head coach wanted his quarterback to learn the No. 18’s game plan ahead of the 2025 season. The 25-year-old wideout admitted working with the second-year quarterback, calling him “the captain of our team” and “his awareness of the game and his intelligence has really grown.” But to make things interesting… well, to make it a little bit problematic, it seems like JJ McCarthy has a sort of complaint from the veteran wide receiver.

JJ McCarthy’s take on Justin Jefferson ahead of his second year

JJ. McCarthy’s NFL career has been anything but smooth so far. The guy entered the pros when the Vikings picked him in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, but he’s yet to make his NFL debut. And let’s just say the guy didn’t have the kind of start to his 2025 offseason he wanted. When Darnold left the Vikings, the team was reportedly in pursuit of Aaron Rodgers to give their quarterback room, a veteran touch.

But as Kevin O’Connell has a pretty good reputation for developing QBs, the Vikings eventually admitted that McCarthy is their guy. The result? Heading into his sophomore season, McCarthy is set to start his era in Minnesota. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be as straightforward as it sounds. Especially, his relationship with his receivers. Earlier this spring, McCarthy stated that he and Jefferson are “not where we want to be” but that “we’re going to be there when we need to.”

Midway through the Vikings’ OTAs, Jefferson lined up to catch a quick pass from McCarthy. But the quarterback threw the pass a bit early and too far. Now, it might sound like McCarthy threw a bad throw. But let’s face it—it just showed that the veteran receiver and the second-year quarterback aren’t perfectly in sync yet.

Now, it all made sense why McCarthy felt that he and Jefferson weren’t where they wanted to be and why Kevin O’Connell asked Jefferson to participate in the team’s OTAs. But with Jefferson actually looking to build real chemistry with his quarterbacks this time around, you’ve got to think that timing stuff is only a matter of time before it clicks.