Justin Jefferson Will Be Sidelined with an Injury
He very clearly is the Vikings’ franchise player. Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the main attraction every time the franchise steps onto the football field for a game. Even in practice, such as training camp, fans go there to see the perennial All-Pro snatch uncatchable passes out of the air.
Justin Jefferson Will Be Sidelined with an Injury
Sadly, when practices open for fans, Jefferson won’t do that and instead will rehab an injury. Head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed a hamstring strain on Friday after Jefferson was already held out of action on Thursday.
The Vikings fired up a tweet, “Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has announced that WR Justin Jefferson has a mild hamstring strain and he will be held out of practice. Jefferson will be re-evaluated next week.”
The good news is that it doesn’t seem to be a major long-term issue, unlike the hamstring strain he suffered in 2023, which forced him to watch his team from afar for seven weeks. Between the announcement and the season opener versus the Chicago Bears are 45 days.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert added, “Justin Jefferson has a ‘very mild’ left hamstring strain, per Kevin O’Connell, and will miss some time. Opposite leg from the 2023 injury. Jefferson told us Thursday he felt tightness and the Vikings sent him for an MRI. No firm timetable but Week 1 does not appear in jeopardy.”
We’ll know more in a week, and until further notice, the standout pass-catcher should be expected to be back after a brief break.
O’Connell claimed, “The best thing is, we avoided anything serious. I see no concerns in regards to the opener (against Chicago). I have no worry at all that we’ll be able to get Justin ready to go for the regular season.”
Jefferson was not expected to participate in the preseason, considering the Vikings’ approach in those exhibition matches in recent history. And quite frankly, he doesn’t need those reps anyway. Still, the practice reps are valuable at this time of the year, especially with a new quarterback throwing him the rock.
J.J. McCarthy will be the man under center for the purple squad in 2025, and building chemistry between the passer and the top receiver is vital. Jefferson put up record-breaking numbers with Kirk Cousins because he is a fantastic football player, but the familiarity certainly helped. The good news is that he also produced with Sam Darnold or Nick Mullens.
It’s the first major injury news that fans didn’t like. Earlier this week, O’Connell proudly announced that both standout blockers, Will Fries and Christian Darrisaw, avoided the PUP list and will participate in practice.
Just like Jefferson, they are essential cornerstones for the offense and will be treated with caution regardless.
Speedy wideout Rondale Moore is also good to go after missing the 2024 campaign with a knee injury. He could get some extra looks with Jefferson sidelined. Jordan Addison is, until JJets is back on the field, the WR1 of the Minnesota Vikings, a job he did quite well in 2023.