Dealing with a lingering hamstring strain this summer, Justin Jefferson’s injury concerns don’t appear over heading into the Minnesota Vikings’ season opener against the Chicago Bears.
Jefferson missed seven games with a right hamstring injury during the 2023 season and is now dealing with a left hamstring injury that saw him sidelined for most of training camp.
Just a week away from the season opener at Soldier Field, Jefferson’s hamstring issue seems likely subject to “long-term maintenance,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.
“This is going to be a long-term maintenance thing. He’s had enough hamstring [issues] at this point. … He practices hard, he does not like to miss practice, I wonder if they would mitigate any of that,” Goessling said on KFXN-FM on September 2, adding that the Vikings may continue to hold Jefferson out at practices as a precaution. “Hamstrings seem like a consistent enough issue for him that I think they are going to treat it with quite a bit of attention.”
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One of the best route-running receivers in the NFL, Jefferson admitted that he puts his body under potentially more strain than with his route-running techniques.
“I’m different from a lot of other people,” Jefferson said on what he’s learned from this second hamstring injury. “The way I move, the way my body is positioned, the way I cut and the way I do everything is kind of different than what everyone else does. Different positions I might put a little bit more stress on my body than a normal typical person would.”
The potential of Jefferson having his workload throttled entering the season doesn’t bode well for his condition improving, as his body will only undergo more wear from the rigors of an NFL season.
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Minnesota took measures to help Jefferson by acquiring Adam Thielen in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. Thielen figures to assume the No. 2 wide receiver duties with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games due to an alcohol-related offense.
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