The Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson are waiting until the star wide receiver feels 100 percent before he returns to game action.
Jefferson told reporters Thursday he did not intend to rush back, and the team stands by his desire to treat his injured hamstring with caution.
“The hamstring is a difficult injury just because it lingers and it comes back from time to time if you don’t put the right treatment into it,” Jefferson said in his first comments since his injury.
“The guys and the rest of the coaching staff in this building know my worth on the field and they want me at 100 percent, as I do as well. I don’t want to go out there at 80 or 90 percent and have the chance of hurting it again. It’s just day-to-day, and when that time comes, I’ll definitely be ready to step out there.”
Jefferson returned to practice Wednesday as Minnesota opened the 21-day window for him to return from injured reserve. If he is not added to the active roster in that window, he must remain on IR for the rest of the season.
Jefferson, 24, suffered the hamstring injury during a Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Vikings are 5-4 despite not having Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens or rookie Jaren Hall available at quarterback. Recently acquired QB Joshua Dobbs led the Vikings to a comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons last week.
Whether the Vikings remain in the playoff hunt — they’re just 1 1/2 games behind Detroit for the NFC North lead — or tumble out of contention won’t affect Jefferson’s desire to return, he said.
“I’m always going to want to play football, whether we didn’t win a game or if we had won every single game this season,” Jefferson said.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year had 36 receptions for 571 yards and three touchdowns in five games before his injury. He led the league last year in catches (128) and receiving yards (1,809), scoring nine total touchdowns.
–Field Level Media