Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson is glad that Adam Thielen is back with the franchise: “He really helped me under his wing and really bloomed me into being a great professional football player.” (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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Justin Jefferson is looking forward to welcoming his longtime buddy, Adam Thielen, back to Minnesota.
Thielen, a Minnesota native and longtime Minnesota Vikings receiver, was traded back to the franchise last week after spending the past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. Thielen had been a member of the Vikings for a decade from 2013 until 2022 and teamed up with Jefferson for the first three seasons of his career.
“I’ve been always keeping in contact with Adam,” says Jefferson in a one-on-one interview. “He would come back to Minnesota and work out with us, and throw around a little bit with us, especially this past offseason. It definitely was a surprise to hear the news that he was most likely going to come back. It wasn’t certain at one point in time. To even think about him returning back especially with the relationship that we have. I started my career with him. He really helped me under his wing and really bloomed me into being a great professional football player.”
The 35-year-old Thielen remains a quality option, coming off of a solid season as Bryce Young’s top target with the Carolina Panthers. Thielen produced 48 receptions for 615 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He figures to play a big role for the Vikings, considering Jordan Addison is suspended for the first three games of the season.
“It was definitely great news,” says Jefferson of Thielen’s return. “I was ecstatic when I heard that he was coming back, and to see the amount of joy that he has to come in every single day and to work his butt off and really to enjoy being around the guys, to really be around the Vikings. The Vikings are an organization that is top tier. The facilities, the people, and of course, the amount of talented players that we have on this squad. He felt like the opportunity here was a great opportunity.”
Justin Jefferson On How Vikings Winning Super Bowl To Cap Adam Thielen’s Career Would Be Perfect Ending
Jefferson — who produced 103 catches for 1,553 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns — is happy that his old teammate is back in the lineup as it’ll make things easier for him. It’s also a natural conclusion to Thielen’s NFL career considering he’s a hometown guy.
“He’s from here, so it was a great chance for him to come back at home and for him to be around his family again and to feel that Vikings love again,” says Jefferson. (Just) talking to him and he definitely appreciated it for sure.”
The Vikings finished 14-3 last season but came up short in the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Los Angeles Rams. The hope is to win the Super Bowl this season and help end Thielen’s NFL career with a championship.
“That’s definitely something that we’re looking forward to,” says Jefferson. Going off of last year and seeing the year that we had, 14-3 is difficult. That was a team that people definitely didn’t expect to win 14 games, not even 10. It goes to show you we have the talent.
“We have the different players over here to make plays, to make things to happen, and the different pickups that we had throughout this entire offseason, especially on defense, getting better players, faster players, stronger players,” says Jefferson. “I’m definitely confident going into this season really putting our team on a map, and for us to reach that point in the playoffs again, and of course getting over that hill.”
Justin Jefferson Details How Sleep Number Helps With His Recovery And Routine
Jefferson is partnering with Sleep Number as he looks to lead the Vikings to their first Super Bowl. He details how big of a difference it’s made in his routine and his sleep habits.
“To see the progress, to see the amount of sleep that you’re having throughout the night, the different settings that you can have, the cooling, being able to raise your feet up for the blood flow of your legs for recovery,” says Jefferson. Sleep is definitely the main recovery for professional athletes. To be able to really track the amount of sleep that you’re having throughout the night, to be able to really put settings to where you want big, softer, firmer. All of those different things play hand in hand for a professional athlete, to be able to be on his top game by getting that quality sleep every day.”
The 26-year-old Jefferson says this is his third year using Sleep Number and he notices the “results” in using their mattresses.
“It’s a perfect partnership that I love,” says Jefferson. “Especially to get the results from this partnership, the recovery process, to see the amount of sleep that I’m having throughout the entire night. It’s one of my favorite partnerships.”