Justin Jefferson dealing with minor leg tightness at Vikings camp

Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson sat out most of the team drills during Thursday's training camp practice with what he described afterwards as "a little bit of tightness" in his legs.

Jefferson made a leaping catch on the sideline and went to the ground after some inadvertent contact with Jeff Okudah, who was covering him on the play. He got up quickly and dapped up Okudah, but after that, he stood on the sidelines and watched for the remainder of the practice.

But Jefferson, who hasn't missed a single game in four of his five NFL seasons — his lone injury absence was seven games due to a hamstring in 2023 — said his lack of participation was about taking a cautious approach early in camp and not wanting to risk anything.

"I'm fine after that catch, for sure," he said. "But just having a little bit of tightness. Of course, with the past recent injuries and the stuff that I have gone through before, just taking precaution and understanding that it's the second day of camp, not the 30th. So just making sure that I'm fully healthy and I'm good to go, especially when the season starts."

Jefferson, who turned 26 this summer, is the face of the Vikings' franchise and one of the top players in the NFL. He'll be the clear No. 1 target for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy when the regular season begins in a six and a half weeks. The two have lockers next to each other and have been building their chemistry all throughout this offseason.

"Talking with J.J. and being his locker mate, I feel like he definitely has his head on straight and he has that confidence to go out there and to perform every single week," said Jefferson, who has caught passes from Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, Josh Dobbs, and Jaren Hall in his career. "I'm just trying to get him more confident into giving me those throws where it is double coverage or I might not look totally open. It comes with preparation and him seeing it on the field."