Vikings Make It Official on Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings fans woke up Tuesday morning to news from NFL Network that the NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Justin Jefferson, was likely heading to injured reserve.
Vikings Make It Official on Justin Jefferson
The following day, the Vikings confirmed the adverse news.
The Vikings main account on the X app tweeted, “The Vikings have placed WR Justin Jefferson on IR. QB Nick Mullens has also been placed on IR and WRs N’Keal Harry and Trishton Jackson have been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.”
Jefferson injured his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a losing effort that sunk Minnesota into a 1-4 hole through five games. The phenom playmaker will now miss at least four weeks: at the Chicago Bears, versus the San Francisco 49ers, at the Green Bay Packers, and at the Atlanta Falcons.
Jefferson hasn’t missed a professional game in his career, so the Vikings showdown in Chicago this Sunday will be a first-of-its-kind situation since the team’s 2019 playoff loss at the San Francisco 49ers. For about four years, with a side dish of Dalvin Cook, Jefferson has been Minnesota’s offense, and the next four games will have a unique feel.
In fact, Sunday’s game will be the first without an Adam Thielen, a Stefon Diggs, or a Justin Jefferson hauling passes from a Vikings quarterback since September of 2015.
In Jefferson’s stead, tight end T.J. Hockenson will command an enhanced workload alongside rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison, with new target loads for K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell. N’Keal Harry and Trishton Jackson were also promoted from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday.
Jefferson will be eligible to return in Week 10, November 6th, after a game at the Atlanta Falcons. In theory, if Minnesota is close to .500 — a longshot after the injury — Jefferson could return and help the team push toward the postseason. But a more realistic fate is a team near 2-8 or 3-7 and having to weigh the logic of welcoming Jefferson back on a team heading nowhere.
In that vein — the Vikings possibly losing some or all of the following four games without Jefferson — his absence could become a significant hinge of Vikings history. Folks will continue to wonder if Minnesota holds a “fire sale” before the Halloween trade deadline.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has vast experience without superstar types like Jefferson, though, making a career chapter of passing to decent-not-great playmakers in Washington from 2015 to 2017. In fact, without Jefferson, the Vikings now employ a pass-catching corps quite similar to Cousins’ Commanders days. Cousins has “done this before” and could hypothetically keep the Vikings offense afloat until Jefferson’s return in four or more weeks.
However, the hiccup is that Jefferson is one of the NFL’s top players whose skillset is irreplaceable. Minnesota will be forced to run the ball more — it should be doing that anyway but rank 32nd in the league per rushing playcall percentage — perhaps balancing the playcalling for the first time in 2023.
Jefferson ranked third leaguewide in receiving yards before the injury, trailing Tyreek Hill and Puka Nacua.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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