The Minnesota Vikings have been waiting to see wide receiver Justin Jefferson return to the practice field, and that time is now.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Monday that he will be returning to practice, which is a huge step forward for him.
Justin Jefferson (hamstring) will participate in part of practice today, Kevin O’Connell said. First time since the second day of training camp.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 18, 2025
When Jefferson would return was a major topic of discussion across the board. As recently as Saturday afternoon when O'Connell spoke to the media after the Vikings' 20-12 loss to the New England Patriots.
“He’s definitely going to hopefully start doing more and more. I can’t say what that looks like from a practice standpoint yet, but I’ve been really proud of Justin, both his engagement in the meeting rooms and you guys see him every day on the practice field, and what he’s doing that people aren’t seeing him working to get back. I think he’s also making himself stronger and ready to sustain what very few players do in this league, which is essentially play every single snap for the better part of the whole season. So, I think he’s in a good spot. Hope to get him, you know, back, getting reps with that first unit as soon as possible. And that’s kind of the plan right now.”
Those comments are pretty vague across the board, but it's by design. O'Connell has been honest about Jefferson the entire time. When to comes to soft tissue injuries, it's often a fluid situation. The Vikings found that out with Jefferson in 2023 when he missed seven games due to a similar injury.
O'Connell's comments during Monday's press conference say a lot about how he will end up returning to the Vikings.
"Yeah, so you'll see him," said O'Connell. "He will begin to take part in practice. It'll be kind of a ramp up. You'll see him take parts and bits and pieces of it here, but he will, officially, be back to work and be ramping up from here."
The words ramping up are important. They want to make sure that they are doing everything they can to maximize his health from a long-term perspective. They will ramp up what Jefferson does throughout the course of practice, and in turn, he should be ready to go for the season.
O'Connell and the medical staff have been really conservative with injuries, and this is no different.
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