NFL Rumors: Justin Jefferson's brutal honesty and Raiders plan with No. 1 pick

Watching Sam Darnold get to the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks isn't only difficult for New York Jets fans, but Minnesota Vikings fans have to be jealous, too. The Vikings watched him break out last year, only to let him sign with Seattle in the offseason and replace him with J.J. McCarthy.

The latest NFL rumors cover Justin Jefferson's brutally honest reaction to Darnold getting to the Super Bowl and the next major event to take place after the Super Bowl, the NFL Draft.

Justin Jefferson calls out Vikings crushing mistake

Watching Darnold lead the Seahawks to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and to the Super Bowl one year after coming close to accomplishing both feats with the Vikings is bittersweet for Justin Jefferson, who acknowledged how big a blunder his team made by letting him go.

"Yeah, I mean, for sure. Definitely. Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, of how we was dealt it," Jefferson told USA Today's Prince Grimes when asked if he thinks the Vikings could have reached the Super Bowl by running things back with Darnold. "But having a quarterback that's already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players. Of course, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all of these guys, I definitely felt like we would've done better. But it is what it is. It's on to new and better things, but I'm definitely happy and proud for him that he was able to reach it this year."

The Vikings letting Darnold go at the time was somewhat understandable. Darnold struggled mightily down the stretch, particularly against pressure, leading to the Vikings going from one of the best teams in the NFL to first-round exits in the postseason. The Vikings also had rookie gunslinger J.J. McCarthy, whom they had just used a top-10 pick on, waiting in the wings. Avoiding handing Darnold a deal they might've regretted and instead handing the keys to a promising rookie was risky, but with play-calling genius Kevin O'Connell in the fold, it made sense.

We all know in hindsight how big a mistake this was. Darnold played his heart out with the Seahawks all year, and had arguably his best showing yet with the NFC Championship on the line. As for McCarthy, he battled injuries all year, and when he was healthy enough to play, he was unimpressive at best.

Now, after firing GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah days ago (with Darnold's success in Seattle likely playing a major role in that decision), Jefferson can only hope the Vikings can figure out their solution under center. Here's a look at their options.

J.J. McCarthy

The easy favorite is McCarthy, who is under contract. McCarthy's rookie year had its ups and downs, but there's ultimately a reason he was a top 10 pick. He has a ton of talent, and if he can find a way to stay healthy, there's no reason to believe he can't be the answer in Minnesota.

Kirk Cousins

At least this would make Jefferson happy, right? Kirk Cousins had a brutal time of it with the Atlanta Falcons, but just a couple of years ago, he was throwing passes Jefferson's way and doing so at a borderline elite level. Cousins is 37 years old and doesn't look like nearly the same guy as he did during his Vikings days, but he's a veteran who knows the playbook and knows how to get the most out of Jefferson. Minnesota can do worse, especially since he'd come cheap after the Falcons eventually release him, as they're reportedly expected to do.

Malik Willis

Malik Willis is an interesting wild card to consider. He, like Darnold, struggled with the team that drafted him, the Tennessee Titans, but has found success in a backup role with the Green Bay Packers. He has likely shown enough promise to earn a starting job elsewhere, and could, like Darnold, take advantage of a fresh start.

Raiders locked in on Fernando Mendoza with No. 1 overall pick

The Las Vegas Raiders' nightmarish season came with a silver lining, as they wound up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. With a need at the quarterback position to address, they have a golden opportunity to select the Heisman Trophy and National Championship winner, Fernando Mendoza. Based on what NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah had to say about this decision, nothing will stop the Raiders from taking him.

"I think the Jets would effort with all the picks that they've accumulated to try and see if they can pry that pick away from the Raiders, Jeremiah said. And the buzz down here amongst all the teams is there's no chance the team would trade off of that pick."

This stance makes sense. Mendoza is clearly the best quarterback available, and after watching 35-year-old Geno Smith struggle all year under center, it's clear they need someone else to take the reins in 2026 and beyond.

With that being said, turning down a massive offer from the Jets is easier said than done, knowing just how much draft capital they have to offer.

That's two first-round picks and two second-round picks this year, and three first-round picks and a second-round pick next year that the Jets have to offer. New York offering many of those picks just to move up one spot, which is something Jeremiah thinks is very possible, would not be easy to turn down, yet is something Jeremiah believes is a lock.

This is the right thing for the Raiders to do. As enticing as it is to get an absurd amount of picks to use this year and next, nothing really matters if the Raiders don't have a franchise quarterback. If the Raiders believe Mendoza is capable of being a franchise quarterback, which all indications are they do, taking him and shutting down all trade chatter is the only conceivable move to make.

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