Football
Monday Night Football next week doesn’t mean the man’s hamstring is 100%.The latest injury update on Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is a bit concerning, leaving folks a little anxious about his long-term health.
That’s the word this week from the Star Tribune, with the regular season just five days away.
Worrying about Jefferson’s hamstring may morph into a 2025 storyline for the purple team.
Football Latest Injury Update for Justin Jefferson Raises Questions
Jefferson’s hamstring recovery isn’t cut and dried.
 runs after the catch against the Houston Texans in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_24301260.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=787,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_24301260.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_24301260.jpg” alt=”Justin Jefferson runs after catch against Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium.”><figcaption>Justin Jefferson ran after the catch during second-quarter action on Sep 22, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, wearing number 18, turned upfield against the Houston Texans while displaying his signature explosiveness as Minnesota’s offense pressed to capitalize in the home matchup. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><h3>Justin Jefferson’s Hamstring Issue Isn’t Wholly Resolved</h3><p>According to <em>Star Tribune’</em>s Ben Goessling<em>, </em>Jefferson’s hamstring maintenance isn’t over. It’s not a summer thing that has passed.</p><p>“I think this is going to be a long-term maintenance thing. He’s had enough hamstring stuff at this point that I would not be surprised — he practices hard and he does not like to miss practices — I wonder if they will mitigate any of that,” <a href=)
Goessling said on KFAN this week.“If there are weeks coming up where you see that he was limited in a practice and he shows up (on the injury report) with a hamstring, I don’t know that that will mean that there’s anything new. I don’t know that that’s going to happen. Just kind of putting pieces together, it wouldn’t shock me if there are weeks where they say, ‘Hey, we gotta pull this back’ just a little for maintenance perspective because you don’t want those things to become regular issues.”
Some onlookers had operated under the pretense that Jefferson was “good to go.”
Goessling continued, “We’re going to see him continue to get stretched out, I imagine. There will be a lot of practices where during the brief open period for the media it’ll be, ‘OK, where is he?’ — and he’s inside getting stretched out or he may be outside in the side tent doing those things.”
“I would expect this is something they continue to keep a pretty close eye on because hamstrings seem like they are a consistent enough issue for him at this point that I think they’re going to treat it with quite a bit of attention.”
So … Hope for the Best?
What does this mean? Simple — until an unknown date, Vikings faithful will monitor Jefferson’s performance and status while hoping for the best.
He’s not on track to miss any games — he’ll play almost for sure against the Chicago Bears — and the situation will become a waiting game, where no news is good news.
Thankfully, the injury occurred in late July, so the phenom playmaker has had over five weeks to take it easy.
The 2023 Injury
Hamstring ailments aren’t new for Jefferson.
 reacts with Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=666,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/USATSI_22199988_168394844_lowres.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=787,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/USATSI_22199988_168394844_lowres.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=666,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/USATSI_22199988_168394844_lowres.jpg” alt=”Justin Jefferson reacts with Kerby Joseph during Vikings-Lions game.” ><figcaption>Justin Jefferson interacted with Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph during the NFC North contest on Dec 24, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver engaged in an emotional exchange in the division rivalry matchup, highlighting the intensity and physical battles that defined the holiday game. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><p>He suffered a hamstring injury <a href=)
in 2023, three weeks before Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and subsequently ended his career in purple. Jefferson missed seven games altogether that season — the Joshua Dobbs year — and famously registered over 1,000 yards (1,074) in a ten-game sample.Jefferson should be rather familiar with the hamstring recovery process. It’s apparently his kryptonite.
The Rest of the Vikings’ WR Crew
To be clear: Jefferson will probably be fine, and this development will vanish by midseason or so.
Still, Minnesota recently traded for Adam Thielen from the Carolina Panthers and has Jalen Nailor and Tai Felton hungry for wide receiver targets. T.J. Hockenson, the club’s TE1, also has a full offseason and summer under his belt for the first time in two years, and the 28-year-old has the capability of turning into a target hog.
 walks off after a win against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/USATSI_24667479.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=787,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/USATSI_24667479.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/USATSI_24667479.jpg” alt=”Adam Thielen leaves field after Panthers win vs. Saints.”><figcaption>Adam Thielen walked off the field after Carolina’s win against the New Orleans Saints on Nov 3, 2024, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The veteran wide receiver, wearing number 19, reflected on the victory as the Panthers added another divisional triumph during a demanding NFC South schedule. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><p>Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who will make his first career start on Monday night, won’t have WR2 Jordan Addison. A three-game suspension awaits Addison, and he’s on deck to return in Week 4 in Ireland against <a href=)
Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.The Thielen trade feels more vital than ever.
SI.com’s Take on Jefferson
Joe Nelson of SI.com weighed in on the Jefferson hamstring topic Tuesday: “Jefferson missed seven games during the 2023 season with a strained hamstring. At the time, Jefferson noted that it was the first injury of this life to knock him out of action for a long stretch.”
“The hamstring injury he sustained in late July kept him off the practice field for about three weeks, and he’s been increasing his workload ever since, though he did not participate in any preseason games, nor the two joint practices in mid-August against the New England Patriots.”
It’s worth noting that Minnesota oddly began winning games the moment Jefferson hit the shelf in 2023.
 waits for the snap against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images.</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/jeffjax.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=626,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/jeffjax.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/jeffjax.jpg” alt=”Justin Jefferson lines up before snap against Jaguars defense.”><figcaption>Justin Jefferson prepared for the snap during fourth-quarter play on Nov 10, 2024, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, lined up against the Jaguars defense, waited for the play to unfold as Minnesota pushed to secure the road win in a tightly contested game. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><p>“The Sept. 8 opener at Soldier Field will be his first game action since the Vikings were knocked out of the playoffs last January by the Los Angeles Rams. One thing to keep an eye on will be Soldier Field’s sod, which is being laid this week after five back-to-back concerts were held at the stadium over the weekend,” Nelson added.</p><p>“Last year, before the Bears hosted the Bengals in a preseason game following concerts, the grass surface was heavily criticized. For Jefferson’s sake, solid footing will be extremely important every time he takes the field — but especially in Week 1 and a recent hamstring injury.”</p><p>Overall, it seems Vikings fans have to merely cross their fingers on Jefferson’s hamstring in 2025, at least during the first couple of months of the season.</p><hr></section><p></main></p></div><p><a href=)
Read More Dustin Baker