Justin Jefferson Explains Absence From Vikings OTAs, Deflects Contract Questions
Justin Jefferson made his return to TCO Performance Center on Tuesday, reporting to the first day of Vikings mandatory minicamp after skipping the team's voluntary OTA practices.
Explaining his absence, the superstar wide receiver said he was training down in Miami and working on various marketing and endorsement deals.
"I had a lot of stuff going on," Jefferson said. "They didn't really force me to come back, so it didn't seem like I was missing too too much. They definitely wanted me back here, (I) definitely wanted to be back here, but had a lot of stuff going on ... with marketing and endorsement deals, did a lot of endorsement stuff over the offseason."
Jefferson, who turns 24 on Friday, isn't a normal NFL player. He has gotten off to a historic three-year start to his career and become one of the league's biggest stars, both due to his dominant on-field play and flashy personality. Jefferson has endorsement deals with Under Armour, Old Spice, Sleep Number, and a variety of other brands.
"I'm just blessed to be in that type of situation to have a lot on my plate," he said.
Jefferson is also in position to likely become the highest-paid receiver in NFL history in the near future. Even with two years left on his rookie contract, he's eligible for an extension this offseason. Naturally, speculation around his absence centered around that element, but Jefferson said that wasn't a big part of it.
"Not too much part of it," he said. "The contract is going to come with the game."
"I don't really see it as a cloud hanging over my head," he added. "At the end of the day, I'm still going to be myself, I'm still going to be playing the same way."
Jefferson declined to answer contract questions, saying his agent handles that stuff and that he's just "here to play football." Asked if he'll be at training camp even if he doesn't have an extension, he said he will be.
"As long as I keep on performing to my best ability, being the same person that I am on and off the field, I'll be good," he said.
Jefferson was close to full participation in Tuesday's practice, showing off during warmups and taking some full-speed reps in 11-on-11 action.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Jefferson's presence brings a certain energy level to the building and that he was already catching up quickly after missing several weeks.
"I told him this morning, you can tell when he's walking the halls in our building, just the energy and the juice that he brings," O'Connell said. "He was in great shape moving around today like I expected him to be. Mentally, still really sharp. We're quite a few installs in on formations and certain plays and he was able to jump right back in there and absorb some of the new things we're doing."
Jefferson clearly seemed happy to be back with his teammates, smiling and playing the game he loves.
"I love being around the guys, I love being around the team," he said. "We want to win the Super Bowl this year, so it's good to be back with the team and back to normal football."
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