The 2023 season went from bad to worse for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, when Justin Jefferson went down with a hamstring injury against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings entered the year as the betting favorite to win the NFC North. They now share last place in the division with the dreadful Chicago Bears at 1-4. Jefferson moving to the IR means he will miss at least the next four games, and possibly more. So, let's delve into what the Justin Jefferson injury means for the Vikings, and when his eventual return will happen.

 

Justin Jefferson return timeline:

Team doctors diagnosed Jefferson with a hamstring strain. The good news is a strain is a whole lot less detrimental than a lot of other lower body injuries. Considering the expectations following the on-field scare, this was definitely one of the better-case scenarios. Still, nobody wants to see a player like Jefferson go to the IR. The Vikings made this roster designation to ensure they don't rush his return to the field. His IR designation means he isn't eligible to play until Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints. That game isn't until November 12.

A hamstring injury typically sidelines an athlete for a few weeks, depending on the severity. In certain cases, Jefferson could potentially return to the field after missing only two or three games. However, if the Vikings thought he could be available for their Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons, they wouldn't have put him on IR. Wasting a roster spot for the next three weeks is absolutely worth it to avoid ruling Jefferson out for four, rather than three.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, their bye week isn't until Week 13. With this injury in play, an early bye would have been very beneficial. If Jefferson doesn't play against the Saints in Week 10, he probably won't play in Minnesota's non-conference matchup with the crumbling Denver Broncos in Week 11. His return in that situation would probably be in Week 12 against the Vikings' NFC North rival, the Chicago Bears.

 

Vikings future outlook

The Vikings are essentially a runaway train barreling towards a complete franchise rebuild. That reality is a massive deviation from Minnesota's preseason expectations. With Kirk Cousins on the final year of his contract, the team could pretty cleanly hit the reset button at the end of the year. If the Vikings continue to lose games, they may even opt to trade some of their other pieces on expiring contracts before the trade deadline to get some return if they don't plan to re-sign them.

Moving off of Cousins would likely come with the unfortunate cost of losing Jefferson as well.  The Vikings picked up Jefferson's fifth-year option for 2024, but haven't signed him to a long-term extension. When Jefferson does sign his second contract, regardless of who it is with, he will establish a new market for elite wide receiver contracts.

Despite Cousins' limitations, he is a franchise quarterback, which is hard to replace. Jefferson is among the best players at any position in the entire NFL. However, he has expressed he wants to keep playing with Cousins, and at the least, he wants to have a stable quarterback situation wherever he plays.

Jefferson's injury might not be season-ending, but if the Vikings' poor play continues, it could be the final straw that sets this franchise back a couple of steps. On the bright side, Minnesota has some quality pieces that they could trade for very significant draft capital. That would help accelerate a potential rebuild process. Trading Jefferson would probably return two first round picks plus other picks, or close to that value. Plus, the Vikings would have Jordan Addison to be their WR1 for at least the next three years.