This Super Bowl is a little bittersweet for Justin Jefferson.
The two-time All-Pro Vikings wide receiver is seeing his 2024 quarterback — Sam Darnold — lead the Seahawks to the Big Game to face the Patriots next Sunday.
It was something the Vikings were at least in play for last season when they went 14-3 before flaming out in the wild-card round.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) reacts after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Jefferson admitted in an interview with USA Today this week that it’ll be “tough” to watch Darnold, believing Minnesota would have been better this year had he stayed.
But he’ll be rooting for the signal-caller against New England and believes the Seahawks have what it takes to win it all.
“It’s definitely tough. It’s tough to watch,” Jefferson told the outlet. “Of course, I love that he’s in the Super Bowl. I’m happy for him, I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way his journey was at first, people doubting him and people not giving him the respect. Now they’re giving him that respect. Now they’re seeing that he’s a top-tier quarterback in this league. Of course, selfishly, I wish that he had done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I’m all happy for him, and I hope he wins. I’m rooting for Seattle and I think Seattle’s gonna win. I’ll be rooting for him.”
Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft who was once viewed as a bust after his Jets tenure flamed out after three seasons, resurrected his career with the Vikings and now Seahawks.
Much like he did in Minnesota last year, he led Seattle to a 14-3 mark with 4,048 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
The Vikings paled in comparison, and though they finished with a respectable 9-8 record, they struggled to get any consistency at the quarterback position with JJ McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer.
Sam Darnold celebrates with the George Halas Trophy after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship game on Jan. 25, 2026 in Seattle.
With that, Jefferson saw his production drop significantly from 2024 (1,533 yards, 10 touchdowns) to 2025 (1,048 yards, two touchdowns).
In answering the obvious, Jefferson said the Vikings could have benefited from having Darnold back, just from a standpoint of understanding the scheme.
“Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it,” Jefferson added. “But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better.”
Minnesota is now making changes to its front office, as it fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday after there was reportedly “tension” around the team.
He was the one who decided to move on from Darnold and roll with McCarthy.
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