Justin Jefferson participated in his first Vikings practice on Thursday since straining his right hamstring on Oct. 8. The receiver said he will continue with a deliberate plan to make sure he's 100% recovered and at a low risk of reinjuring his hamstring before he returns to a game.
To the 2022 NFL offensive player of the year, the idea of sitting out the rest of the season with the injury was never a consideration, though.
Jefferson called it a "no-brainer" he would return this season, dismissing the notion he would skip the remainder of the season with the injury. The Vikings broke off contract extension talks with the receiver on Sept. 9, and will resume discussions about a long-term deal with him after the season. But Jefferson said Thursday the notion he would miss games wasn't compatible with a lofty set of long-term goals.
"I'm always going to want to play football, whether we didn't win a game or whether we have won every single game this season," he said. "I love the game of football. I always say that I want to be a Hall of Famer, so I can't just sit out missing games for the fun of, just because we're not doing well. I know that I have a big role on this team, and every chance I get to be on that field, I want to make the most of those opportunities."
The Vikings have until Nov. 29 to put Jefferson back on the active roster after opening his 21-day window on Wednesday. Their bye is on Dec. 3; they could effectively keep him off the active roster until their Dec. 10 game against the Raiders in Las Vegas, or make him inactive for games even if he returns to the active roster by then. Jefferson said he didn't want to return until he was certain his hamstring was completely healed.
"It's just all about how I'm feeling and how strong the hamstring is," Jefferson said. "The hamstring is a difficult injury just because it lingers, and it comes back from time to time if you don't put the right treatment into it. So the guys on the rest of the coaching staff in this building know my worth on the field, and they want me 100 percent — as I do, as well. I don't want to go out there 80, 90 percent and have the chance of hurting it again. It's just day-to-day, like I said, and when that time comes, I'll definitely be ready to step out on that field."
He was injured in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' loss to the Chiefs on Oct. 8, when he cut on a route near the goal line and slipped on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf, after Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce sprained his ankle on the turf the same day. The Vikings' stadium is one of three left in the NFL that uses slit-film turf (along with Indianapolis and Cincinnati). The playing surface, as well as the two turf fields at the Vikings' practice facility in Eagan, is scheduled to be replaced after the season. The team could consider a monofilament surface similar to the one the Lions put in at Ford Field after last season.
"It was a freak accident," Jefferson said. "I felt pretty good going into the game. I didn't really have any hamstring problems; a little tightness, but not really something to be worried about. It just happened. Bad timing, bad positioning. I also have to look at my technique, also. Just having my feet under me, and not getting into those types of situations. [The turf] could have had a slight issue, but I'm not going to blame it on turf."
