Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talks with receiver Justin Jefferson during a training camp practice in August. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
His passes this season will come from Darnold, with whom Jefferson first worked after reporting to the Vikings’ mandatory minicamp in June once his contract was finalized. He was quickly struck by Darnold’s arm strength, and the two built an especially strong connection in the red zone during training camp practices, with Darnold throwing a few on-the-move darts to Jefferson for touchdowns.
”Those are the money-makers there,” Jefferson said. “That’s somewhere we’ve been struggling the previous year. The plays he’s making [in practices] are definitely going to transition to Sundays.”
The relationship on which the Vikings appear to have staked their plans, though, is the one Jefferson will have with McCarthy, whom Jefferson called “the franchise quarterback we’re going to talk about in the future.” Their lockers are next to one another at the Vikings’ practice facility; the two are represented by the same agency. After the Vikings selected McCarthy 10th overall, Jefferson was given the quarterback’s phone number. His congratulatory call to McCarthy featured mantras he’s often repeated to himself.
”I was just letting him know, ‘This is still the start of your dream. Your dream hasn’t fully come true yet,’ ” Jefferson said. “Just go in there with confidence, to go in there and be that number one player, to be that top player in this league. I feel like that’s what a lot of [players], especially rookies, have trouble with: coming into the league with confidence, knowing they can make an impact right away. That’s something I carried myself with my rookie year, so I was just passing that down to him.”
O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips say Jefferson was more assertive as the Vikings installed their offense, sharing what he’s learned and the details the team has added to plays over the past two years. He’s spent time with Darnold drilling the nuances that are unique to his routes.
“I might put a little extra step or two, just to make a move on a corner, that some other receivers might not do,” Jefferson said. “They might rush the route, or try to beat them with speed, where I more use my footwork.”