For a moment, the Skol Nation had every reason to panic. Their last year’s captain, Justin Jefferson, who has carried the purple and gold with record-breaking consistency, wasn’t on the field when training camp opened. Kevin O’Connell tried calming the storm, calling it a “very minor left hamstring strain.” Every day Jefferson sat out felt heavier, even if the head coach reminded everyone he was tracking just fine for Week 1 against the Bears on Sept. 8.

“You’ll see him,” O’Connell told reporters. “He will begin to take part in practice. It’ll be kind of a ramp-up. You’ll see him take part in bits and pieces of it here, but he will officially be back to work and be ramping up from here.” That quote landed like music in the Twin Cities, but O’Connell still couldn’t fully relax. With Jefferson back in training, new problems popped up in a receiver room already stretched thin.

ESPN reported that rookie Tai Felton appeared to injure his left hand during a full-pads session, the final grind of camp. Moments later, veteran Jordan Addison bolted off the field clutching his arm, forcing trainers to huddle around him. Both stayed on the sidelines but never checked back into drills, leaving fans inside U.S. Bank Stadium holding their breath all over again.

Thankfully, cooler news followed. According to a source, O’Connell’s latest concerns washed away once tests confirmed the team had dodged anything serious. Neither Felton nor Addison will miss significant time, a rare stroke of luck after a summer where depth took hit after hit. Jefferson missed 24 days with his strain. No. 3 receiver Jalen Nailor has been absent for over a week.

Still, nothing matters more than No. 18 being back in motion. Jefferson has topped 1,000 yards in each of his first five seasons, still holding the NFL record with 96.5 yards per game. His 2022 run—128 catches, 1,809 yards, and an AP Offensive Player of the Year award—cemented his place as Minnesota’s engine. Yet even with him, one question remains for the City of Lakes: is Jefferson alone enough to keep the Vikings in the fight?

Kevin O’Connell eyes another WR as speculation grows louder

For days now, talk of Adam Thielen possibly returning to the purple and gold by way of a trade with the Carolina Panthers has only gotten louder. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero sparked it on Wednesday with his report, and since then the idea of a Thielen reunion has been one of the hottest offseason conversations in the City of Lakes.

Naturally, Kevin O’Connell couldn’t escape the topic. A few hours after the report hit, the Vikings head coach sat down with Kay Adams on her Up & Adams show. When asked directly about the speculation, O’Connell didn’t confirm anything, but he also didn’t shut the door. “I love Adam Thielen. Talk about [our] 2022 year. You don’t build something from Day 1 the way these guys did, and the players did in year one without players like Adam Thielen on the team,” O’Connell said.

He didn’t stop there. “There’s a reason why he’s not only a Vikings favorite [after] the career [he] had here, but how about the job he’s done [in Carolina] with a bunch of young players? I guarantee you that the Panthers are in a good place right now because of all that work Adam Thielen put in. So, huge fan of Adam Thielen.” Those words reminded fans exactly why Thielen remains beloved in Minnesota, even after leaving for Carolina.

Yet O’Connell stopped short of calling for a trade. He didn’t say, “Yeah, we’d love to trade for Adam Thielen!” but his admiration left plenty of room for interpretation. The Vikings are thin at wide receiver, and the need for a veteran is real. So while O’Connell’s comments were measured, they didn’t exactly kill the excitement. For now, the reunion rumors aren’t fading—they’re only picking up steam.