Justin Jefferson is unarguably the face of the Minnesota Vikings entering the 2025 NFL season. The elite wide receiver led the team to a 14-3 record in the regular season, earning his fourth Pro Bowl in five years. The Vikings have strengthened their roster after an early exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in the last postseason.
Vikings' HC Kevin O'Connell Drops Concerning Update About Justin Jefferson originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Justin Jefferson is unarguably the face of the Minnesota Vikings entering the 2025 NFL season. The elite wide receiver led the team to a 14-3 record in the regular season, earning his fourth Pro Bowl in five years.
The Vikings have strengthened their roster after an early exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in the last postseason. Jefferson will still be the key for the franchise in the upcoming season, which will see J.J. McCarthy take the QB mantle.
Vikings' fans received disappointing news about their superstar wide receiver only days into the 2025 training camp. Head coach Kevin O'Connell addressed the media on Friday and revealed Jefferson's latest injury concern.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
"Justin expressed some discomfort to our staff between the hamstring tightness in his left leg and just didn't want to leave anything to chance. So we did have a little bit further evaluation done, and he does have a very mild left hamstring strain." O'Connell said.
Jefferson isn't new to hamstring issues. He was sidelined for seven games in 2023 due to a grade 2 hamstring tear. However, O'Connell had some relieving words in that context.
"We're going to be really cautious with it. It is not the same leg from a couple of years ago," he said. "I credit Justin for his ability to recognize how he was feeling and the fact that we were able to avoid anything major."
The 26-year-old hasn't played in the last three preseasons, and it's going to be the same story this year as well. He will not participate in practice sessions for the time being and will be re-evaluated next week.
"The best thing is we avoided anything serious. I see no concerns in regards to the opener and have no worry at all that we'll be able to get Justin ready to go for the regular season." O'Connell said.
Full explanation from KOC on Justin Jefferson’s hamstring:
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) July 25, 2025
🎥: Vikings Instagram pic.twitter.com/pEBHPHf0X2
Jefferson could have used these training sessions to build some chemistry with McCarthy, his third quarterback in six years. He did an incredible job with Sam Darnold in the quarterback's first and only season in Minnesota.
The Vikings will play the Houston Texans on August 9 in their first preseason game. They will also face the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans before kicking off their campaign against the Chicago Bears on September 8.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
