Schefter: Justin Jefferson Might Not Rush Back to Action Due to Contract Status

This is an interesting tweet from ESPN's top insider. Is there merit to it?
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The big news from Tuesday morning is that Justin Jefferson's hamstring strain has landed him on injured reserve. The Vikings' superstar will miss at least the next four games, but it sounds as though this is a significant injury and there's a possibility he'll need more time than that to get back to full health.

A couple hours after the news broke, ESPN's Adam Schefter sent out an interesting tweet.

Here’s the other unspoken issue that could potentially lengthen Justin Jefferson’s absence: if the Vikings don’t win games and stay competitive, what is Jefferson’s incentive to rush back when he did not land the contract he wanted? His absence could last longer than expected.

Hmmm!

It's certainly worth keeping Jefferson's contract situation in mind amid this whole situation. He was eligible for a new deal for the first time this offseason, but his camp and the Vikings never got anything worked out. Although Jefferson is still under contract in 2024 via the fifth-year option, he currently doesn't have any long-term security beyond that. And now, for the first time in his career, he finds himself missing time due to an injury that could theoretically affect his future earnings. Could this development bring the two sides back to the negotiating table?

At the same time, Schefter is known for often serving as a mouthpiece for agents or teams or anyone who wants to get something out into the public. This tweet reads like it came directly from Jefferson's agents at CAA Sports; it would go against everything we know about Jefferson for him to hold out once his hamstring is healed. Over the last couple days, Kevin O'Connell has talked about how the Vikings have to protect their ultra-competitive star player and captain from himself.

"It was tough on him," O'Connell said after the game on Sunday. "He's the ultimate competitor. He's done everything the right way on and off the field for us as a team."

"Shoot, he was trying to go back in the game as it was yesterday," O'Connell said in his Monday presser. "So we’re going to have to medically make a good decision and help almost protect him from himself a little bit, in a way where we have to take care of him and get him back to 100 percent. ... It probably wasn’t going to be possible (for him to go back into the game), but he was trying to figure out a way."

That doesn't sound like a guy who will miss any more games than he absolutely has to, does it? Then again, Jefferson might have other voices in his ear suggesting he take his time coming back in order to look out for his long-term future.

How things play out for the Vikings during Jefferson's absence could also impact things. If they can climb back towards .500 in the next five or six weeks, his return would be huge for a playoff push. But what if they decide to move Kirk Cousins and/or Danielle Hunter before the trade deadline and wind up at 2-8 in mid-November? At that point, it might make sense for both parties if Jefferson is shut down until next season.

It's going to be very interesting to see how this all unfolds.


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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.