Total Pro Sports
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell provided an encouraging injury update on superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who’s been dealing with a hamstring injury for two weeks.
Justin Jefferson, widely regarded as the best wide receiver in the game, is entering the first season of a four-year, $140 million extension he signed last year. After missing seven games in 2023, the 26-year-old stayed healthy and turned in another tremendous season (103 catches for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns).
Jefferson has been out of practice since suffering a hamstring injury two weeks ago. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, however, coach O’Connell provided an encouraging update on his star receiver:
“Ideally, you’d love to get him, I’d love for him to practice today if we could. We’ll continue kind of ramping him up, you guys have seen him. If he’s not running to try to tackle me before practice today, which has kind of been a normal occurrence, he certainly looks healthy when he’s trying to tackle me pre-practice here. But, he’s clearly building up to a point where he’s 100% and we’re going to get him back out there.”
"He's clearly building up to a point where he's going to be 100% and we're going to get him back out there" -Head Coach Kevin O'Connell on @jjettas2's status pic.twitter.com/gKRM4sk97K
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 6, 2025
HC O'Connell on Justin Jefferson's recovery from his hamstring injury:
"He certainly looks healthy when he's trying to tackle me pre-practice here. He's clearly building up to the point where he's going to be 100% and we're going to get him back out there."
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 6, 2025
Dr. Jesse Morse, a well-known sports medicine physician in Miami, believes Justin Jefferson has a “mild grade 1” hamstring injury but should return in 1-2 weeks. The Vikings kick off their preseason at home against the Houston Texans on Saturday (Aug. 9).
Sounds like Justin Jefferson is on track to return in 1-2 weeks.
Mind you this hamstring injury, likely a mild grade 1, is to the OPPOSITE leg as the grade 2 moderate strain from 2023.
Only mild increased reinjury risk for him over the first 6 weeks of the season. https://t.co/PHKiuTPWQ1
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) August 6, 2025
Minnesota’s other star receiver, Jordan Addison, was issued a three-game suspension following last year’s arrest for driving under the influence. Minny can’t afford to be without Jefferson those first three games as well, so they’ll continue to proceed with caution.
The No. 22 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft has exceeded the 60-catch and 1,000-yard marks in each of his first five seasons. Despite missing seven games in 2023, JJ still finished with 1,074 receiving yards.
Coming off a 14-3 regular season record (their best finish since the 1998 squad that went 15-1), the Vikings will...
