After starting the season 1-3 and losing their superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson in Week 5 to a hamstring injury that has forced him to miss the past four weeks, the Vikings are 5-4 and find themselves firmly in the mix of the NFC playoff picture. Now, Jefferson is eligible to return from injured reserve as soon as this week, but his status remains uncertain.
Per ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, Jefferson said he cannot yet put a date on his return and that he wants to make sure he is 100 percent before returning to action. However, he did note that he views himself as day-to-day, indicating a return is on the horizon.
The Vikings have won each of the four games Jefferson has missed but lost their starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury in the process. However, they acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals before the trade deadline who filled in admirably in his first game as a member of the Vikings, leading them to a Week 9 win.
It is important to note that Jefferson is currently playing in the final year of his rookie contract and has yet to agree to a contract extension with the Vikings after the two sides failed to come to terms during the offseason. It makes sense for both Jefferson and the Vikings to give him as much time as necessary with a massive extension on the horizon.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said Jefferson returning this week would be a “little aggressive,” but returned to practice this week, which activated his 21-day window to return from injured reserve. With that in mind, Jefferson should be back out on the field sooner than later.
