Vikings Rumors Put Spotlight on Justin Jefferson’s Hamstring, The RB Demotion, Tariq Woolen
A long Minnesota Vikings offseason rumor mill winds down on Sunday, as the club sets its sights on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
Vikings rumors put the spotlight on Justin Jefferson’s hamstring, an RB demotion theory, and what could be brewing with CB Tariq Woolen.
The team is narrowly favored to prevail in J.J. McCarthy’s debut, a 1.5-point favorite, according to sportsbooks.
In the meantime, here’s the final batch of rumors for the 2025 offseason.
Vikings Rumors for September 7th, 2025
The last-minute stuff to know about the purple team. It’s the purple rumor mill.
Rumor: Justin Jefferson’s hamstring matter is a long-term situation, though he’s not on the injury report for Week 1.
Per Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, Jefferson’s hamstring recovery program isn’t an open-and-shut ordeal.
“I think this is going to be a long-term maintenance thing. He’s had enough hamstring stuff at this point that I would not be surprised — he practices hard and he does not like to miss practices — I wonder if they will mitigate any of that,” Goessling mentioned on KFAN a few days ago.
“If there are weeks coming up where you see that he was limited in a practice and he shows up (on the injury report) with a hamstring, I don’t know that that will mean that there’s anything new. I don’t know that that’s going to happen. Just kind of putting pieces together, it wouldn’t shock me if there are weeks where they say, ‘Hey, we gotta pull this back’ just a little for maintenance perspective because you don’t want those things to become regular issues.”
Thankfully, Jefferson is not on the Week 1 injury report.
Goessling added, “We’re going to see him continue to get stretched out, I imagine. There will be a lot of practices where, during the brief open period for the media, it’ll be, ‘OK, where is he?’ — and he’s inside getting stretched out or he may be outside in the side tent doing those things.”
“I would expect this is something they continue to keep a pretty close eye on because hamstrings seem like they are a consistent enough issue for him at this point that I think they’re going to treat it with quite a bit of attention.”
The non-inclusion of Jefferson on the injury report is a promising sign, but it’ll be worth remembering that the hamstring will remain a thing until it isn’t.
Rumor: Jordan Mason could end up taking over the RB1 job from Aaron Jones.
The latest and greatest from ESPN’s Dan Graziano? Jordan Mason will take the Vikings’ rushing crown in 2025, hinting at an eventual Aaron Jones demotion or injury.
He explained this week, “Don’t be surprised if … Jordan Mason leads the team in rushing.”
“What I’m hearing: The Vikings love Aaron Jones Sr. If you’ve ever talked to Jones, you know why. He is a great player and a great guy to have in your locker room. But he’s also 30 years old and coming off a 322-touch season.”
Vikings fans won’t much care which halfback rushes for the most yards, so long as the rushing offense hums.
“The Vikings traded for Mason, the former 49ers back who they believe adds an explosive element to their run game. So far, they’ve been thrilled with Mason’s play, and they envision a pretty even split in running back duties this season between him and Jones. But during some Christian McCaffrey absences in San Francisco, Mason did show the ability to function as more than just part of a tandem,” Graziano continued.
“He ran for 789 yards on 153 carries last season. So it’s not hard to picture a scenario in which the Vikings decide to lean more on him as the season goes along. Again, nothing against Jones — this could just be the natural evolution of things in Minnesota.”
So, watch out for Mason taking the lion’s share of rushing attempts at some point.
Rumor: Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen will be the top CB on the open market in March, and Minnesota will need a corner.
Bleacher Report released a list of the top upcoming free agents of 2026, and the Top 10 included Woolen.
Kristopher Knox wrote, “Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen was more good than great in 2024, grading out as the league’s 64th-best overall corner, according to Pro Football Focus. However, the 26-year-old is a proven playmaker who logged six interceptions as a rookie and 11 in his first three seasons.”
“Woolen will still only be 26 when 2026 free agency opens, and he’ll likely be the top young cornerback on the market — especially if he rebounds in his second season under Mike Macdonald. The early signs are encouraging. Woolen probably won’t reach the market-leading contracts of Sauce Gardner and Derick Stingley Jr. However, A.J. Terrell’s $20.3 million-per-year contract would be a realistic goal if Woolen returns to Pro Bowl form. Contract Value: Four Years, $81 Million.”
In all likelihood, unless Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah explode in 2025, the Vikings will be cornerback shopping next offseason. Woolen would be a magnificent fit. Remember his name.
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