Jefferson: 'No-brainer' to return from injury regardless of Vikings' success

Justin Jefferson gave no consideration to sitting out the rest of the season to get healthy if the Minnesota Vikings played poorly.

"That's a no-brainer," Jefferson said Thursday when asked how sure he was about coming back. "I'm always going to want to play football. Whether we didn't win a game or (if we) had won every single game this season. "

He added: "I always say that I want to be a Hall of Famer, so I can't just sit out missing games just for the fun of it and just because we're not doing well."

The Vikings opened the 21-day practice window to activate Jefferson off injured reserve Wednesday. The star wideout missed the last four games due to a hamstring injury.

Jefferson described himself as "day-to-day" on Thursday and didn't give an estimate on when he'll return. However, he added that the ailment is getting better every day.

"Hamstring is a difficult injury just because it lingers," Jefferson said. "They want me 100%, as I do as well. I don't want to go out there 80%, 90% and have the chance of hurting it again."

The three-time Pro Bowler said this has been his longest injury-related absence since high school.

"In this situation, being out for a couple weeks during the season, having to miss games is definitely not ideal for me. It's not something I'm used to but it makes me want to get back on that field even more," Jefferson said.

The Vikings have won four games in a row to move to 5-4 but will have to navigate the rest of the season without starting Kirk Cousins after the quarterback tore his Achilles in Week 8.

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