The Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, replacing him with Sam Darnold and rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

On Tuesday, superstar wideout Justin Jefferson told Rich Eisen there were no hard feelings when it came to Cousins' departure:

"I feel like he just wanted a new start, a new opportunity to start with Atlanta. A clean slate. I'm not mad at him at all for that," Jefferson said (1:50 mark). "I'm grateful for what he's brought to me and the things we accomplished together. But at the end of the day, it's a business, and you've gotta do what you've gotta do for yourself and your family. I clearly understand that. It's on to the next."

Cousins may have wanted a fresh start, and the Falcons provided him with 180 million reasons to pursue it in Atlanta. They then confused everyone by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in April's draft, despite having Cousins under contract for the next four seasons.

That future quarterback controversy aside, the Falcons now have a veteran quarterback and a loaded suite of weapons around him, led by running back Bijan Robinson, wideout Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. Atlanta's offense could be scary in 2024, and expectations are high for the team in an NFC South that appears to be ripe for the taking.

The Vikings, meanwhile, are entering a new era themselves behind either Darnold or McCarthy, depending on who seizes the quarterback role this summer.

That will obviously call into question whether Jefferson's production might take a hit. He's emerged as one of the NFL's top receivers during his four-year career, exceeding 1,000 receiving yards in all four campaigns.

The Vikings rewarded him for his consistent excellence by signing him to a four-year, $140 million extension this offseason.

But Minnesota itself may be in a brief retooling period after losing Cousins. Darnold has never proven to be a consistent starting option in his career, despite rehabilitating his image in San Francisco last summer. And McCarthy is obviously an unknown at this point, having never played an NFL game.

The Vikings will have very good weapons around them, however, with Jefferson and Jordan Addison making up one of the better young receiving pairs in the league and T.J. Hockenson adding another weapon at tight end.

The NFC North got a lot better this offseason, led by one of the best teams in football last year, the Detroit Lions. But the Vikings won't be an easy matchup given that firepower, so long as the quarterback play isn't too rough.