Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson has been sidelined by a hamstring strain for the last few days.
While head coach Kevin O’Connell still feels like Jefferson will be able to play Week 1 when Minnesota opens the season against Chicago, he would like to see Jefferson on the field in fairly short order.
"[There’s a] finite amount of time we’re talking about to get him right and get him totally ready to roll for the grind,” O’Connell said Tuesday, via Tony Liebert of SI.com. “The guy plays 70-plus snaps a week, and what we ask him to do is just flat-out remarkable, but he’s able to consistently do that.
“But you still want to have him back sooner rather than later,” O’Connell added. “Like I said, zero worry about the opener, but there’s a lot of time in between now and then. What that looks like, we’re gonna be smart, but at the same time, he wants to get back out there. He does not want to stay wearing what I wear to practice for much longer.”
Jefferson, 26, caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards with 10 touchdowns in 17 games last season. While the Vikings certainly want to have Jefferson healthy for 2025, they also likely would like to have Jefferson establish as much chemistry as possible with quarterback J.J. McCarthy, as the 2024 No. 10 overall pick enters his first year as a starter.
Vikings safety Josh Metellus earned a new contract. And now he has one.
Via NFL Media, the Vikings and Metellus have agreed to terms on a three-year, $36 million extension.
He was due to earn a base salary of $3.675 million in 2025. He’ll now have a four-year, $39.675 million deal.
A sixth-round pick in 2020, Metellus became a regular contributor on defense in 2023. He has 27 starts in 34 regular-season games over the last two seasons.
He sat out of team drills during the offseason program while waiting for his new deal. He recently said he was willing to bet on himself, play out his contract, and see what happens next.
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson ended Thursday’s practice early with what he described as tightness in his legs.
The Vikings sent him for an MRI.
Coach Kevin O’Connell announced Friday that imaging on Jefferson’s left hamstring revealed a mild strain. The team will hold the receiver out of practice a few days, with re-evaluation next week.
While there is no firm timetable for Jefferson’s return, O’Connell made clear that Jefferson’s availability for Week 1 is not in doubt.
Jefferson injured his right hamstring in 2023 and missed seven games.
The four-time Pro Bowler made 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns last season in earning All-Pro for a second time in his five seasons.
The Vikings will wear alternate uniforms in three of this season’s home games.
The team announced that they will wear their white helmets for their Christmas game against the Lions and that they’ll don their throwback uniforms in Week 2 and Week 18. The first of those games is a Sunday night home opener against the Falcons and the regular season finale will be against the Packers.
White helmets made their debut in a win over the Bears last season and they’ll look a bit different this year as the team has added a metallic stripe down the center. The team will wear them with white uniforms and white pants in what they call their Winter Warrior look.
The throwbacks take inspiration from the uniforms the Vikings wore in their first 45 seasons as an NFL team. They lost their two 2023 games in the uniforms, but won against the Texans while wearing them last year.
J.J. McCarthy has been making some veteran moves as a young quarterback stepping into the role of starter in 2025.
Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN, McCarthy organized a couple of offseason throwing sessions with his teammates. One was near Nashville, Tenn., and the other was near St. Paul, Minn.
Tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver plus running backs Jordan Mason and Ty Chandler attended the session in Tennessee. A larger group met up in Minnesota, including receiver Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
“The more reps the better,” McCarthy said Wednesday, via Siefert. “A lot of this offense is based on timing and rhythm, and being able to get as many reps as possible is going to [be] important going into this camp and this season.”
Addison appreciated getting some time on task with his QB and other teammates.
“It’s always good building a good connection outside of the building whenever you can,” Addison said, “and just keep that chemistry going. It was high vibes good spirit, and just having fun.”
After missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury, McCarthy is in line to start 2025 as Minnesota’s QB1. The club also has Ssam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer on its roster at quarterback.
