Justin Jefferson Loves His Starting Quarterback Kirk Cousins

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NFL: New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Jefferson returns to the Minnesota Vikings this weekend when they play in Las Vegas vs the Raiders and it was obvious at his press conference on Thursday that he is happy and excited to get back on the field.

At the podium, a bouncy JJ graciously answered questions from reporters on a variety of different topics. Those topics included his expectations for the rest of the season, how much he hated sitting out and coverages he’s expected to see on Sunday, among other things.

Related: Kevin O’Connell Officially Names Josh Dobbs as Vikings Starting QB

Justin Jefferson loves his starting QB, Kirk Cousins

But an energetic and already jubilant JJ got an extra twinkle in his eye when asked about his relationship with injured quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who was clearly important to JJ while recovering from his hamstring injury.

Reporter: “Do you talk to Kirk very often?”

JJ: “I talk to him every single day. I mean every day he’s in that training room trying to get back to where he was before. To see his spirits and to see that Kirk is never different from what he normally is. He still has that high energy, the funny jokes dad jokes that he always do and, I mean, just having that same type of mindset as he had before. It’s definitely a good feeling to see your starting quarterback in the building and still have that same happy vibe that he always had.”

I know the debate rages on over whether or not Kirk Cousins will return to the Minnesota Vikings. But I’m not sure how you can watch this 1.5 minute clip and convince yourself that they’re really going to let Kirk go knowing he means so much to Jefferson, both on and off the field.

Taking Kirk away from JJ doesn’t seem smart…

Justin Jefferson might be the most important player to the future of the Vikings. But until the Kwesi & Co find a quarterback that can grow with JJ into the future, his interim QB is the organization’s most important player right now.

Related: Josh Dobbs is fine but he isn’t Kirk Cousins

Justin made it clear, even later on during this same interview, that individual stats matter to him nearly as much as winning does. He didn’t hide his anger over missing a chance at 2,000 receiving yards in 2023 or how much he hates having to adjust his yardage goal down to 1,000 yards, the minimum he says he ever wants to have in a season.

Minnesota Vikings need Jefferson happy short term

In other words, to keep Jefferson happy, Minnesota must remain competitive and make sure he has a QB that allows him to fill his own stat sheet. And some fans may not want to believe it, but there’s only one sure-fire bet to making sure both of those things happen in the short term.

Make sure Kirk Cousins remains JJ’s starting quarterback. Not only has Kirk proven he can feed Jefferson all the footballs he needs to survive, but Cousins is the perfect co-leader, co-captain, and NFL father figure for the 24-year-old phenom too.

I always try to keep Kirk into that happy mood during the game. Try to be more relaxed, try to be more confident about himself and just let the game play for itself. I feel like our talent is enough that we can just work with and I feel like the good things will happen throughout the game.

Justin Jefferson on Kirk Cousins

Related: How Much Will Kirk Cousins Cost; Could Vikings Get Discount?

Jefferson is the perfect receiver for Cousins. Not just because he is the best wide receiver in the league, but because the two personalities could not fit more perfectly together, both on and off the field.

Entire Justin Jefferson Press Conference from Thursday

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