Vikings' Justin Jefferson sidelined with 'mild' hamstring strain

Jefferson appeared to suffer the injury at training camp practice on Thursday. He'll be reevaluated next week.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. | Image courtesy of the Minnesota Viking

Justin Jefferson is dealing with what Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell says is a "mild left hamstring strain." Jefferson will not practice as the Vikings proceed with caution, and he is going to be reevaluated next week.

"The best thing is we avoided anything serious," added O'Connell. "I see no concerns in regards to [Week 1] and have no worry at all that we'll be able to get Justin ready to go for the regular season."

It's an injury that Jefferson appears to have suffered during Thursday's practice.

Jefferson sat out most of the team drills during Thursday's training camp practice with what he described as "a little bit of tightness" in his legs. Here's how Will Ragatz, who was covering the practice for Vikings On SI, described the play that may have resulted in Jefferson's leg issue.

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"Jefferson made a leaping catch on the sideline and went to the ground after some inadvertent contact with Jeff Okudah, who was covering him on the play. He got up quickly and dapped up Okudah, but after that, he stood on the sidelines and watched for the remainder of the practice," Ragatz wrote.

Jefferson said after practice that he sat out as a precaution.

"I'm fine after that catch, for sure," he said. "But just having a little bit of tightness. Of course, with the past recent injuries and the stuff that I have gone through before, just taking precaution and understanding that it's the second day of camp, not the 30th. So just making sure that I'm fully healthy and I'm good to go, especially when the season starts."

Jefferson hasn't missed a game in four of five seasons in the NFL, with the lone exception being a hamstring strain (his other leg) that knocked him out of seven games during the 2023 season.