Justin Jefferson’s important message to Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

Justin Jefferson has done an excellent job of establishing himself as one of the elite receivers in the NFL. As Jefferson prepares for his sixth season with the Minnesota Vikings, he knows he can make the toughest catches under the most difficult of circumstances. However, Jefferson will be working with his third starting quarterback in the last three seasons, and that’s a significant adjustment for any receiver.

Jefferson and J.J. McCarthy have been getting to know each other on and off the field. The new Vikings’ starting quarterback takes over after Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins held down the position previously. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings coaching staff has confidence in McCarthy’s ability, athleticism and make up, but he still has to learn the tendencies of Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. The idea is to make sure the Vikings put a cohesive offense on the field.

Jefferson is trying to let the new quarterback know that he is capable of making plays that other top receivers may not be able to execute. As a result, McCarthy has to know that Jefferson can make important plays when he appears to be covered.

“From what I’ve learned, I would say the difference between me and a different receiver is what I put on the top of my routes,” Jefferson said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “The flavor I have on the tops, the stride length that I have with my routes, and just knowing certain routes that I’ll break it off at a certain distance, that another receiver might break it off a little earlier, because of my stride length. So all of that just goes into play, and the more we’re out here and just having those reps, the better we’re going to be.”

Jefferson can do it all, but he has plenty of help