Justin Jefferson on Recovery From Hamstring Injury, Return Decision

Jefferson said he's the one who will ultimately make the decision on when he returns.

Vikings superstar receiver Justin Jefferson has been limited in practice this week as he continues to progress towards a return from the hamstring injury that has cost him the last five games.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Jefferson said on Thursday." New week to get better, get stronger. I'm looking forward to doing more in practices and getting back to where I'd like to be."

It's been a lengthy absence for Jefferson, and it may not be over. He and the Vikings have made it clear that he won't be returning until he's at 100 percent, in order to minimize the risk of re-injury. They're being cautious with their best player, for good reason.

Jefferson wants to get back out there as soon as possible, to play with this team that's on a five-game winning streak. But he knows it's about being smart for the long term.

"Just trying to focus on day to day," he said. "I'm just trying to make sure that it doesn't come back. Doing treatment every single day, doing different exercises to strengthen it. It's been going well."

Jefferson has been attacking his rehab, both at the Vikings' facility and with extra work when he's at home. The reality of hamstring injuries is that they take time to heal. He's continuing to make progress.

"Having that endurance" is what Jefferson said he's looking for this week. "Making sure that after I work out, I'm not feeling sore, I'm not feeling achy. That's kind of what we've been dealing with throughout the past weeks. Every day we're just trying to attack it more and more."

Will Jefferson play against the Broncos on Sunday night? It's possible, depending on how he feels on Friday and into the weekend. But based on Kevin O'Connell's comments earlier this week, it doesn't exactly seem likely. It wouldn't be surprising if Jefferson doesn't play next week against the Bears, either, and returns after the Vikings' Week 13 bye.

"We’ll see," O'Connell said. "We’re kind of in that day-to-day, kind of ramping him up phase now. We’ll determine if it’s possible at all to have him for this weekend."

What could be interesting is if Jefferson and the Vikings' training staff aren't on the same page in terms of their thoughts on when he should return. What happens if Jefferson wants to play on Sunday or next week and the Vikings think he should wait until after the bye?

In Jefferson's eyes, he's the one who's going to make the final decision.

"I'm the main person that's going to make the decision," Jefferson said. "I'm the person that's going out there running, I'm the person that's putting my body on the line to win games and do things for this organization. I know how I feel, I know how my hamstring's feeling. We're going to weigh in on all of the different opinions and what everyone has to say, but at the end of the day, I'm the one that's going out there."

Jefferson, whose work ethic and competitive nature are on a different level, obviously wants to play. This five-game absence has been tough on him. The Vikings obviously can't wait to get him back. It's just about making sure that he's at 100 percent so there's no risk of aggravating something and being unavailable for key games later on.

But if Jefferson feels like he's good to go, he could be playing as soon as Sunday night.

"It's frustrating, not gonna lie," Jefferson said of missing the last month. "It's definitely tough to deal with. I wanna be on that field more than anything, competing with this team and competing to win a Super Bowl. It's tough that I've been out for a while now, but it is what it is and I'm ready to get back out there."

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