Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson tallied his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign in 2023. This was despite missing seven games with a hamstring injury.
He also had to exit the Vikings’ Week 14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders with a chest injury that caused him to go to the hospital. Still, it was the hamstring injury that left a lasting impact on Jefferson.
He said he has changed how he takes care of his body.
“I’m so scared for it to happen again,” Jefferson told reporters on August 2. “I’ve been overly cautious about it just trying to take care of my body in the right way. Just trying to find new ways and new things too that I can implement on my day to-day life that would better help me throughout the season.
“I definitely been working on my hamstrings a little bit more and making sure that I’m injury-proof.”
First practice in pads for the Vikings, and the first rep running routes with the QB’s today, Justin Jefferson caught himself out of his helmet on a pass from Sam Darnold.
Jefferson had never missed a game in his NFL career before the 2023 campaign.
He was able to bounce back from his injuries and overcome backup quarterback play to post 476 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions over the final four weeks of the 2023 regular season.
Vikings Have No Plans to Limit Justin Jefferson
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Harrison Smith #22, and Justin Jefferson #18.
“I’ll get to the point where I feel like I’m not going to think of it again,” Jefferson said. “Just because I feel like I’m gonna push it to where it’s way strong enough for it not to happen again. So it’s just all about being confident in it. Just having that confidence in it to where it’s not going to happen again and I can go out there and play freely.”
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell said it was Jefferson learning his body, not maintenance.
Jefferson said he understood the logic behind the approach. He went over some of the factors that go into deciding when he will rest. He also recognized it as a double-edged sword.
“I guess they look at the amount of yards that I’m running, how much I’m running, how hard I’m running, and, of course, the amount of weight I’m dropping at the end of practices with this hot temperature, sweating tremendously,” Jefferson said. “Having a rest day just for me to come back out here today and give it that 100%, and just trying to monitor my body, and how I’m feeling, and trying to make sure that I’m ready for week one.
“I like it and I hate it at the same time just because I never really was the type of person to take days off and have veteran days,” Jefferson said. “But I understand that I’m starting to get a little older and the yards and how I’m running and the way I’m running every single day I practice, it starts to take a toll on me.”
Jefferson said “a lot of science” is going into prevention and he was doing as he was told.
Justin Jefferson Plummets in NFL Top 100 Players List
GettyJustin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jefferson’s extended absence from the field in 2023 may have contributed to his fall in the NFL’s Top 100 Players list. The list is voted on by the players themselves.
Jefferson fell from No. 2 in the 2023 Top 100 Players list to No. 18 in the 2024 edition. He led the NFL with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards en route to All-Pro honors in 2022. A similar effort could restore him closer to the top of the list in 2025.
Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill became the first receiver to top the list, per the NFL.
Hill had 119 catches and 1,799 yards with 13 touchdowns on the season, all of which led the league.
Jefferson’s career-high mark for touchdowns in a single season is 10 which he set in 2021. He could have trouble reaching that mark in 2024. The Vikings are breaking in a new quarterback, be it Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy. Jefferson had Kirk Cousins in 2022.
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Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Admits Lingering Fear Sparked Change