Souhan: Justin Jefferson doesn’t complain, but should he?

WARE, ENGLAND — The quarterback assigned to throw the ball to Justin Jefferson on Sunday was at his best in 2017.

The quarterback assigned to throw the ball to him in the future is out indefinitely.

Jefferson doesn’t like to complain and rarely has, defying the emotional nature of most star receivers, but he allowed resignation to momentarily creep into his voice this week.

Asked about playing with J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz this season — with McCarthy now injured and Wentz trying to reacclimate to the NFL — Jefferson said:

“I think that’s kind of been my whole entire career since I’ve been here. So it’s just not really flinching on that type of deal, and that’s not something that I can really control.

“The only thing that I can control is going out there and catching the ball and winning on my routes and making sure that I’m open for the quarterback to see. So it doesn’t matter who’s out there throwing the ball, I’m always going to have confidence in myself and the person throwing the ball that, you know, we’re going to make something shake.

“So it’s been difficult, you know, just trying to connect with one quarterback, and getting that relationship, but at the end of the day, my job is to go ahead and catch the ball and be an open target.”

Last Sunday against the Steelers, he caught 10 passes on 11 targets for 126 yards, and probably would have scored a touchdown if not for slipping in the open field on the loose soil of Croke Park in Ireland.

He’s caught 517 passes for 7,758 yards in his career. He has the third-most receiving yards in franchise history.

With 13 games remaining this season, he is tied for eighth with Torry Holt for most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. He recently passed Cooper Kupp and CeeDee Lamb, even though the best quarterbacks Jefferson has played with — Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold — were allowed to leave as free agents because the Vikings thought they could do better.

Eagles star A.J. Brown has complained this season about not getting the ball enough, even though the Eagles are 4-0.

The history of the NFL is filled with examples of star receivers complaining.

Against the Steelers, Jefferson caught five passes on the first drive, and had another erased by penalty. He had eight official catches in the first half, but caught only two in the second half, even as the Vikings were desperate to erase the Steelers’ lead.

Asked whether the Vikings’ plan was to get the ball to him early and quickly, or whether the defense dictated the early burst, Jefferson said:

“A little mixture of both, just depending on how the defense plays me, and if they have a double [team]. ... Sometimes you get me the ball early and let me just work off just getting the ball in my hands — apparently, a lot of good things happen. Just continuing on, just trying to stack up the yards after the catch and trying to get open for my quarterback."

How much does quarterback play matter?

Jefferson’s former LSU teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, got to play with a healthy Joe Burrow (another former LSU teammate) in 2024, and won the receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17).

Jefferson sounded optimistic about a future with McCarthy.

“He’s, you know, still our guy, and he’s still the quarterback we lean on,” Jefferson said.