EAGAN, Minn. -- The speed of OTA practices in the NFL varies from day to day, and sometimes even from drill to drill. During a brief moment this week, however, the Minnesota Vikings' intensity was unmistakably high.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was trying to fit the ball into a tight window to receiver Justin Jefferson, a superstar who hasn't often attended voluntary offseason work in previous seasons. The Vikings' defense was playing aggressive coverage, so much so that cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. jumped and rose above Jefferson's hands to tip the ball to linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. for an interception.
The sequence provided a neat snapshot of the environment the Vikings have created for McCarthy, who is expected to be the starter after missing his rookie season with a torn right meniscus. Jefferson has been a regular attendee in the offseason program for the first time in three years, according to coach Kevin O'Connell, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores' group has been up to its usual practice shenanigans. During a 115-minute practice Wednesday, the Vikings had virtually their entire roster on the field.
"That's why it's so great to have the participation of Justin and Jordan [Addison] and T.J. [Hockenson]," O'Connell said. "We've got a group out there of guys that know what they're doing, so they can give [McCarthy] some real-time feedback. 'Hey, I know you got off me right there, but I'm going to win at the top of this route, regardless of the leverage.' That's something he's going to get used to hearing from [Jefferson] early and often. Little things like that. You can't measure the importance of those things."
The NFL's collective bargaining agreement mandates that participation in offseason work is voluntary, with the exception of a three-day mandatory minicamp. The Vikings have been careful in recent years to give Jefferson his space, especially as he worked through a two-year process leading up to a long-term contract extension in June 2024. It's hard to avoid the connection between Jefferson's attendance this spring and McCarthy's planned ascension, but O'Connell indicated the impact is more expansive than simply familiarizing himself with a new quarterback.
"I think it's been huge not only just for J.J.," O'Connell said. "[Jefferson is] an energy igniter of the whole building. And I think he has come back with a purpose and a mindset. ... You hear his voice, you hear his interaction with teammates, and they just carry such a long way. Him and I have had a lot of conversations about his role. He's not only captain, but he means so much to this organization, and the guys in that locker room that know, 'If this guy, one of the best in the world at what he does, is pushing himself in May and June, I sure as heck better be doing the same thing.'"
Let it fly 9️⃣@jjmccarthy09 pic.twitter.com/hqgXwEXT23
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 27, 2025
It's simply a fact, however, that Jefferson and McCarthy hadn't spent much time on the field together before this spring. Last year, quarterback Sam Darnold took almost all of the first-team snaps during OTAs, minicamp and training camp before McCarthy suffered his season-ending knee injury in the preseason opener. The same goes for receiver Addison, whose practice time also linked up with Darnold's, and tight end Hockenson, who was still rehabilitating a knee injury of his own.
"The timing, those reps, all of that has to be built up over time," McCarthy said. "So the more reps, the better. I just feel like we're not where we want to be, but we're going to be there when we need to."
That's something the Vikings' defense will help accelerate, if Tuesday's snapshot is any indication. A few periods after Murphy forced the interception, he blitzed and came free off the edge, seemingly surprising McCarthy as he swiveled into the pocket. This time, McCarthy reacted quickly and checked down to an open receiver.
Darnold said last year that his spring and summer work against the Vikings' defense had left it much easier to see the field against the team's early opponents. O'Connell recalled him saying: "They're just kind of standing out there versus what we see every single day [in practice]."
In 2023, Kirk Cousins, the Vikings' starter at the time, noted the difficulty of practicing the team's offensive plays against a defense as unpredictable as Flores' but concluded: "All in all it's been good for our development as a player and as an offense."
McCarthy seems headed toward a similar assessment.
"Just being able to go against that scheme," he said, "you can't get that anywhere else. And just being able to see that every single day, it's extremely invaluable."
McCarthy has taken special notice of veteran safety Harrison Smith, who earlier this spring praised McCarthy for "being a little smarter beyond his years." McCarthy smiled and said he didn't want to give away all of Smith's secrets, but he did reveal that he has noticed Smith trying to "bait us into things" by directing his heads and eyes in the opposite way he intends to move.
It was a small, single lesson at a time of year when they come daily. The process will continue into the summer -- and beyond.