The Minnesota Vikings have been playing it safe with wide receiver Justin Jefferson at training camp.
After missing seven games in 2023 due to a right hamstring injury, the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver explained on Friday that he and the team are taking steps to prevent injuries for the upcoming season.
"I'm so scared for it to happen again that I've been overly cautious about it," Jefferson said, via ESPN. "Just trying to take care of my body in the right way, just trying to find new things that I can implement in my day-to-day life that can better help me throughout the season. I've definitely been working on my hamstrings a little bit more, making sure that I'm injury-proof."
The 2023 season was the first time Jefferson missed a game in his NFL career. Last season, he had 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. Now, heading into his fifth campaign, Jefferson and the Vikings are being cautious to avoid another setback for the 2024 season.
Jefferson, who recently signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension, became the highest-paid non-quarterback this offseason. Post-contract and post-injury, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell envisions a new reality for the star receiver, who had a pre-planned day off on Wednesday.
"We want to make sure his training camp progression is the right kind of progression coming off a first time for him having the type of injury he had,” O’Connell said. "It's more a matter of the dialogue that he has with [vice president of player health and performance Tyler Williams] and myself and making sure that our plan for him as we progress forward through the month of August has him, in his prime, optimal, physical football shape and ready to roll while also still tactically getting him prepared."
With a blueprint for how Jefferson will be practicing moving forward, the star wide receiver believes that he can get back into form once the season starts.
"I'll get to the point where I feel like I'm not going to think of it again," Jefferson said. "Just because I feel like I'm going to push it to where it's way strong enough for it not to happen again. It's all about having the confidence in it and I can go out there and play freely."