The team has to decide who they plan to start under center: McCarthy or Sam Darnold.

As is the case with a few teams around the league, the biggest decision the Minnesota Vikings must make this offseason is at quarterback. That former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy will start in the fall is no longer a foregone conclusion after journeyman Sam Darnold put up a career performance as McCarthy’s replacement during injury. Though he wobbled quite a bit toward the end of the team’s run, the 27-year-old Darnold shocked everyone by playing some of the best ball of his life, complicating Minnesota’s calculus under center.

On top of that, the team also signed quarterback Daniel Jones in the middle of last season after the New York Giants benched and subsequently released him.

On one hand, it’s a good problem to have; the team is spoiled for choice. But on the other, you have to make the impossible decision of deciding who to reward and who to pay. Is it the young QB you drafted to become a franchise player? Or is it the down-on-his-luck veteran that, in a stroke of genius, saved your season?

Seeing as McCarthy was injured during the preseason, no one really got to see him play. But Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson took a moment to detail what the 22-year-old would bring to the offense, plus a bit about the pair’s connection—while still acknowledging, of course, that this isn’t his decision to make.

Yeah, I definitely can say he’s a sponge, for sure,” Jefferson told Athlon Sports in an exclusive. “He’s a guy that wants to learn. He’s a guy that wants to be a top-tier quarterback in this league.”

“So, our lockers are really right next to each other,” Jefferson continued, speaking on their connection. “So, every single day, we’re chopping it up. We’re talking not only about football but just life in general [and] what’s going on. And just having that connection with him before he even steps on the field is something that’s special. So, I’m excited to see what he does.”

The wideout added that he is “excited’ to see who the team decides to bring back and who will be the starter for the upcoming year.

Darnold is heading into free agency soon here, which puts somewhat of a timeline on the team’s decision. When asked about it, head coach Kevin O’Connell has remained understandably vague and noncommittal, though it sounds like the front office might let Darnold shop around a bit. At the very least, it would seem Jefferson—one of the team’s top stars—is okay with whichever direction the front office decides to go.