Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has had enough.
The All-Pro wideout who led the NFL in receiving yards through four games (543) before suffering a hamstring strain in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs has deleted his Instagram account and X account (formerly known as Twitter). Jefferson’s decision to step back from social media follows continued harassment from followers badgering him to return from injury — largely because of their own fantasy football interests.
“Y’all have no idea. It’s honestly crazy, the amount of people that really criticize you and talk very, very bad about you, calling you different names. You’re just trying to be healthy and trying to be your best on the field,” Jefferson said during a press conference on Friday, November 24. “At the end of the day, it is what it is. I’m more worried about my team and me being healthy.”
The receiver added that he doesn’t hear the grating criticism from the public so much in person, but that he has been bombarded with it on social media more or less daily.
“I don’t really step out too much for me to hear it in public,” Jefferson continued. “But social media is a big part of day-to-day life nowadays, so of course I see it everywhere on social media.”
Justin Jefferson Says Contract Negotiations with Vikings Unrelated to Prolonged Injury Absence
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jefferson took to X on Tuesday — before deleting his account, either temporarily or otherwise —to address the number of people sending him direct messages hounding him to play, leveling accusations about why he isn’t playing or both.
“My health is wayyyy more important than you winning your fantasy games,” Jefferson wrote on November 21. “It doesn’t matter how many times y’all flood my [DMs] talking about me selling your team. I DON’T CARE 😂.”
Reporters asked why he chose to make a public response to the messages he was receiving.
“I’ve been getting it for five, six weeks now,” Jefferson said. “I’m just tired of it. It’s frustrating. It’s draining to want to be out there on the field, wanting to play and all these other sources saying different things that are not true on how you’re feeling.”
Media members also inquired about accusations that Jefferson is sitting out longer than necessary due to a dispute over a contract extension and/or in order to protect himself for the coming negotiations. Jefferson became extension-eligible last offseason.
“To be honest, I don’t really care too much. Just because everyone is going to have their own opinions of what they think I’m thinking, or what I’m doing,” Jefferson explained. “I know what I’m doing, and I know that it’s not for the contract. It’s not for the contract at all. I’ve said that from the beginning of the season — that [the contract] wasn’t my main priority.”
Jefferson is playing in the fourth season of his initial four-year, $13.1 million rookie contract. Minnesota has already exercised its $19.7 million fifth-year team option on the former first-round pick, keeping him under contract through 2023.
Justin Jefferson May Play Against Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota is 6-5 on the season, including 5-1 without Jefferson. The team’s next game is in Minneapolis against the Chicago Bears on November 27.
Speculation has circulated as to whether the wideout will take the field against the Bears (3-8), mostly because sitting out will allow him two more weeks of rest and rehabilitation, as the Vikings enter their bye week following the Monday Night Football matchup with Chicago.
“If I’m feeling good, I will play,” Jefferson said. “If I miss this one, it’s going to be the seventh game. So, it’s definitely frustrating. It’s tough to be patient and trying to make sure an injury heals properly. It’s definitely not something that I wanna do, but it just comes with the game. It comes with trying to be healthy, trying to be 100 percent.”
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Justin Jefferson Deletes Social Media Accounts, Cites Harassment