Vikings star Justin Jefferson stood on the field at TCO Performance Center this week, throwing passes to his fellow receivers rather than catching them himself.

After vice president of player health and performance Tyler Williams analyzed some of the tracking data at their disposal, like how many yards Jefferson typically runs during a practice at training camp, and how much weight he loses on a daily basis due to the hot temperatures, the Vikings decided to give Jefferson a rest day to recover.

Asked how he reacted to the mandate, Jefferson smiled for a moment, then replied, “I love it and I hate it at the same time.” As much as he appreciates the Vikings managing his workload, Jefferson has never been the type of person to sit out at any point, so he has had to readjust the way he thinks about the big picture.

“Just trying to monitor my body and how I’m feeling,” Jefferson said. “We want to make sure that I’m ready for Week 1.”

This is something Jefferson never had to think about before last season when he missed nearly 10 weeks with a hamstring injury. That marked the first time since he was a teenager that he had to miss significant time. It has taken a toll on him physically and mentally heading into this season.

“I’m so scared for it to happen again,” Jefferson said. “I’ve been working on my hamstrings to make sure that I’m injury-proof.”

Sometimes that means being OK taking a rest day and keeping the big picture in mind.

“There’s a lot of science that goes into it,” Jefferson said. “I’m just here to play football and do what I’m told.”

The fact that Jefferson has been so open to the pragmatic approach the Vikings are taking with him has impressed head coach Kevin O’Connell. He noted that it speaks to Jefferson’s maturity as a player that he is able to compartmentalize his own competitiveness.

“We want to make sure Justin plays a lot of snaps for us,” O’Connell said,. “We want to make sure the progression in training camp is the right kind of progression coming off a first time for him having the type of injury he had. It’s more a matter of the dialogue that he has with Tyler and myself. Just making sure that our plan for him as we progress forward through next month has him in his prime, optimal, physical football shape.”

As things continue to ramp up in training camp, with joint practices against the Cleveland Browns coming up in a couple of weeks, Jefferson vowed to make the most of every opportunity he gets on the field. Maybe because he knows more rest days could be coming down the road.

“Every single time is a chance to get better at my craft,” he said. “I come out here with a mindset of trying to chase perfection.”

If he continues to do that, Jefferson knows he has nothing to worry about.

“I’ll get to the point where I feel like I’m not thinking about it,” Jefferson said. “Just because I feel like I’m going to push it to where it’s strong enough for it to not happen again.”

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) limps off the field with a towel over his head after after injuring his hamstring in the fourth quarter of football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Kansas City beat the Vikings, 27-20. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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