The Minnesota Vikings‘ cast of wide receivers will be down Jordan Addison when the team takes on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday night, but superstar Justin Jefferson will be on the field playing at full strength.
Rumors swirled this week around Jefferson’s injured hamstring, which kept him sidelined for the entirety of the team’s three preseason games in August. However, Jefferson said in an exclusive interview that ran on Saturday, September 6, that he is 100 percent and ready to play in Minnesota’s season opener.
“Hamstring is feeling great,” Jefferson told D.J. Siddiqi of The Escapist. “We definitely had a great plan throughout training camp of getting it stronger, getting the mobility back right and to make sure that with my cut moves, and the way I move, the way I explode — it’s just so much on the body, and I had to get stronger, had to get more physical and upper-body stronger. I feel like the whole process went well, and I’m definitely ready for Week 1. I’m ready to rock and roll.”
Justin Jefferson’s Hamstring to Demand ‘Long-Term Maintenance’ Over Course of Season
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
The injury concerns came via a report from Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune on Tuesday, September 2.
“This is going to be a long-term maintenance thing. He’s had enough hamstring [problems] at this point,” Goessling said during an appearance on KFAN radio. “He practices hard. He does not like to miss practice. I wonder if they would mitigate any of that? Hamstrings seem like a consistent enough issue for him that I think they are going to treat it with quite a bit of attention.”
Jefferson missed seven games during the 2023 campaign due to a hamstring strain, though he still eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving and scored five touchdowns. Those are the only seven contests he has missed during his five-year NFL career.
Upon returning fully healthy ahead of the 2024 season, Jefferson put up 1,533 receiving yards and tied a career high with 10 TDs on 103 total catches across 17 games played.
Justin Jefferson’s Presence Crucial for QB J.J. McCarthy in First Career NFL Start
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jefferson is a four-time All-Pro wide receiver and will serve as a tremendous resource and safety valve for new Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy is entering his second NFL season, but an injury last August sidelined him for the entirety of his rookie campaign. Thus, the first meaningful snap of his professional career will come on the road against the division rival Bears under the bright lights of “Monday Night Football.”
Jefferson also spoke about McCarthy during his interview with Siddiqi.
“He has that dog mentality, and he has that mentality of getting better. He knows he’s not the top quarterback in the league right now — he knows that,” Jefferson said. “Him understanding that and coming to work every single day, trying to get better, trying to understand the offense more, trying to understand how he’s going to really make this offense run [is big].”
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