Report: Justin Jefferson will miss 4-6 weeks
The Vikings have lost receiver Justin Jefferson for at least four weeks. It's fair to ask whether he'll return this season — or ever.
While not likely, it's at least possible the hamstring injury that knocked Jefferson out of Sunday's loss to the Chiefs will be his final time in a Minnesota uniform. Whether he returns will depend on what he wants, and on what the Vikings are willing to do.
For now, he'll miss at least four games on injured reserve. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com pegs the absence at 4-6 weeks, with imaging tests on the injured muscle coming in four weeks.
There's no reason for Jefferson to push it. Beyond the fact that the Vikings are 1-4, with the 49ers (and a fifth or sixth loss) looming in nine days, Jefferson does not have his long-term financial security. He was willing to commit before the regular season began, but the Vikings were not willing to give him the structure he needed.
And so, unless the Vikings are legitimately in the mix for a playoff berth by the middle of November, why should Jefferson push it? Even then, he'd be within his rights to wait for full and complete 100-percent health to return before putting himself at risk.
The question then becomes what happens after the season? We raised the possibility in the 2023 offseason of a 2024 trade, barring a long-term deal. If, as it seems, the Vikings are intent on attempting to draft a future franchise quarterback, Jefferson could be used to either sweeten the pot for a move to the top of the draft or to acquire additional assets to be used for a push from wherever the Vikings finish in the pecking order to striking distance for who would be their first true franchise quarterback since Fran Tarkenton.
Hovering over all of this is whether Jefferson wants to stay in Minnesota. Multiple receivers have, in recent years, gotten trades simply by asking for them. Jefferson possibly reels underappreciated, given the absence of a long-term deal. Also, in lieu of waiting for a franchise quarterback to come to the Vikings, Jefferson might want to join one elsewhere.
Regardless of how it plays out, there's a chance the relationship between player and team hangs in the balance. And one key data point for both sides will be the performance of the Vikings' receiving corps without the 2022 NFL offensive player of the year on the field for at least four games, if not the rest of the season.
