EXCLUSIVE
There has never been a better time to be a wide receiver in the NFL - and there is perhaps no better place to be playing wide receiver than the Minnesota Vikings.
Justin Jefferson is widely regarded as one of the best - if not the very best - wideouts in the league.
7
In 2023 he was joined by Jordan Addison - the 22nd pick of the NFL Draft - and the pair formed arguably one the league’s finest 1-2 punches at the position.
Behind them sits the quiet genius of wide receiver coach Keenan McCardell, the two-time Super Bowl winner making a name as one of the NFL’s most effective position coaches and the man responsible for Jefferson and Addison’s remarkable transition.
So what’s the secret?
“The first thing I tell them is you have to love to play with each other,” McCardell exclusively tells talkSPORT at NFL UK headquarters in London.
MORE FROM THE NFL
“You got to know he's your yin and yang. The piece that you don't have, he brings it to the party and it makes one solid piece. I think those guys understand that.”
McCardell creates a culture.
He joined the Vikings in February 2021 as receivers coach under Mike Zimmer and one year later was confirmed to be staying on in Minneapolis under new head coach Kevin O’Connell - despite Zimmer's departure.
Jefferson had already completed two seasons in the league by the time McCardell arrived, and was halfway towards a four-year NFL career that has set a new benchmark.
7
7
His 5,899 yard regular season total is the most of any player’s first four seasons in the league.
In McCardell’s first season, Jefferson - the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft - turned his blistering start into an historic one.
Most read in NFL
Vinicius Jr schools NFL star Justin Jefferson, then does his trademark griddy celebration
His 2022 total of 128 receptions and 1,809 yards in the regular season saw him set a new record as the youngest player to lead the lead in receptions and receiving yards while being named Offensive Player of the Year.
For the 2023 season he was joined by Addison, the softly-spoken, silky smooth USC receiver who totalled 911 yards from 17 games in his rookie season in the league and vows that he will get even better.
Addison took a moment to assess his own impact, but his verdict on the receiver room, led by McCardell and Jefferson, spoke volumes.
“As a competitor, when I look at someone like Justin [Jefferson], my feeling is that if he can do it, then I can go and do it too. I put that type of pressure on myself to be the best,” he exclusively told TalkSPORT.
“Justin did a great job of working with me, making sure that I was calm, that I was ready and instilled some confidence in me, letting me know ‘I was in your shoes, too. You’ve got what it takes, so just do you.’”
Addison’s comments are not hard to believe when you consider who he is working with.
Injury limited Jefferson to just ten games in 2023 - that was still enough for him to top 1000 yards again and record his highest yards per game. The coach knows what he is getting from his star duo.
“They coexist with each other and they come together,” McCardell adds.
7
7
“Jordan might be the quiet one, JJ might be the loud one. The only reason JJ's the loud one is because everybody knows who JJ is, but everybody knows who JJ is because of his play.
“He's not the loud one. People don't realize that. They're like, JJ's really the quiet one. JJ's the quiet one, Jordan's the super quiet one. He never says anything at all.
“His play just speaks for itself. It just becomes loud. It's unbelievable because they listen. They love the game, that's one reason too.”
McCardell’s easy demeanour is easy to fall in love with. When he talks you listen, which is fitting given his stature in the league.
Preparation, mindset and mentality is one thing, but you have to be able to play the game, and in McCardell, Jefferson and Addison have someone who has been there, done it and got the Super Bowl ring.
The 56-year-old has more than 11,000 yards across 17 seasons in the league, two All-Pro selections, to go with his two rings.
“Everybody nowadays can learn how to be a receiver, learn how to be a quarterback. It's what you have in here [points to heart] to make you the best.
“My biggest thing is can you play under pressure? It's easy to play when there's nobody in the stands.
"Can you play when there's 80,000 in the stands and 15 to 20 million, maybe 80, 100 million watching and you do it the way you do it when there's nobody in the stands. I think that's the biggest thing.”
Partnerships are key and McCardell had them with Jimmy Smith in Jacksonville, with Keyshawn Johnson in Tampa Bay and with Antonio Gates in San Diego and he sees similarities in what his Vikings combination are able to produce.
“You have a tandem of guys that are really good, could be the best in the NFL, so it depends on people's opinion. How do you keep them focused and sharp?
Justin Jefferson
NFL career
5,899 yards, 392 receptions
23rd pick in 2020 NFL Draft
2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Signed 4-year, $140million contract in June 2024
“That's the worry that I have, but it's not really a worry that I have because I know how I did it, how Jimmy did it, how Keyshawn did it, how our coaches did it to make us the best.
“It's about competition and it's a friendly competition. I have them have a friendly competition and we talk about it. You push him, he pushes you.
“It's easy because they love it. They have the mindset like I had to play it - they love the game.
“You have to love coming to work every day. I put that in my whole rule. Don't come over here with a sad face, come over here with an unbelievable energy of being here because I tell them this, once you're inside these gates, this is your getaway from the world.
Jefferson will be one of the stars of the upcoming Netflix documentary ‘Receiver’ which is released on Wednesday and is expected to offer a fascinating insight into his life on and off the field.
The 25-year reset the contract market for wide receivers this summer, his four-year $140m deal makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league.
The ripple effect is likely to be felt across the league, with talented college prospects wasting little time in making a name for themselves transitioning to the NFL.
Jefferson has built a trusted relationship with McCardell and in an interview with NFL Network admitted just how key the coach is to the set-up. It is no surprise to learn the Jefferson was adamant he stayed when the Vikings make their coaching changes.
7
“When Mike Zimmer left, and coach Kevin O’Connell came, that was one of the things I requested was for him [McCardell] to stay with us.
“I love him as a person. I love him as a coach. It’s been great to have him teach me different things throughout the season.
“Having a person like him that played in the league, 17 years, knows the feeling of being out there on the field, knows the injuries, knows the circumstance - it’s great to have him there with us.”
McCardell has been around the NFL for a long time, he was drafted in 1991, has been coaching since 2010 and has head coaching ambitions of his own.
He was interviewed for the New England Patriots OC job in 2023, and is widely regarded to be a hot candidate for OC and HC jobs when the next hiring cycle begins.
Given how Jefferson and Addison speak about their coach, the next step will be no surprise and after being given the chance by Eli Manning to take the offensive co-ordinator position at the Pro Bowl in February, the Vikings face a fight to hold onto McCardell.
7
For now, he is preparing for the 2024 season but is perfectly placed to comment on just why Jefferson, Addison and the likes of Puka Nacua, Jaylen Waddle and Garrett Wilson are making the step up look so simple.
“I think a lot of guys now work super hard to be great. When I came in, everybody kind of grew into being that great player. Now these guys come in ready.
“Back in the day we didn't have trainers. We didn't have YouTube where you can go learn to run routes.
“You got guys putting videos on how to cut, how to break, how to catch. Back in the day, you better go out in the yard with your buddies and figure out how to catch.
"Nowadays, technology has grown so much they can look on their iPad, their phones and be like okay. this is what he's talking about and then they can keep working on it.”
For all the work McCardell has done with the players - as he says himself - the onus remains on them to deliver.
Jefferson and Addison have delivered, but they need to keep delivering and having a trusted coach in their corner has gone a long way to helping them do that - so the final word goes to McCardell.
“It's your job to be great, it's not your job to be average.
Read More on talkSPORT
“You have the obligation to be great. That's why you're here. There's 1,600 players in this league only in the world and you're part of this fraternity.
“If you're very average, you won't be in this fraternity. The faster you understand that, the faster you'll be successful.”