Justin Jefferson’s reputation might have taken a solid hit after the 2025 season, but the coming season will be different. After participating in a joint practice with the Ravens, he made it clear that though fans might now see him as a top WR, he is confident he can prove that in 2026.
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“Not yet,” Jefferson said after the practice. “Not yet. But they will (know) after this year —I’ll tell you that.”
Justin Jefferson had a down year in 2025. He finished the season with 84 catches for 1,048 yards and only two touchdowns. The 1,048 yards and two touchdowns were both the lowest totals of his career. His numbers also dropped a lot from 2024, when he had 1,533 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
One of the major reasons behind this fall is quarterback changes. Since 2023, Justin Jefferson has adjusted to nine different starting quarterbacks. He played with Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, and Nick Mullens in 2023, followed by Sam Darnold in 2024. In 2025, he played with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Now, in 2026, Kyler Murray becomes his ninth starting quarterback.
But now, Jefferson has a more experienced quarterback in Kyler Murray. The Vikings chose Murray over J.J. McCarthy to be their 2026 starting quarterback. Murray has already shown he can make plays in the NFL, with 20,460 passing yards, 121 touchdown passes, and 60 interceptions in his career. He can also make plays with his legs, adding 3,193 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns.
Plus, the decision came after a solid evaluation from head coach Kevin O’Connell.
“There’s comfort from Kyler in the scheme,” O’Connell said. “He had some really high completion days where he was able to show some really, really good understanding of just putting the ball in play, playing with great timing and rhythm. … As you continue to look at the body of work really through those 10 days, what jumped out is what could be.”
So, now he will finally get a reliable quarterback.
Both Kyler Murray and Justin Jefferson are starting to build good chemistry during the Vikings’ joint practice with the Ravens. Murray, playing with the first-team offense, threw a deep touchdown pass to Jefferson, who got past the Ravens’ defenders and made the catch for a score.
Justin Jefferson did not play in the Vikings’ first two preseason games of 2026. The Vikings chose to keep their star receiver on the sideline instead of putting him in the preseason game. Now, it will be interesting to see how he builds up his chemistry with Murray in the regular season and brings his No. 1 status.