The Minnesota Vikings will wrap up Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season by taking on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding this game in Minnesota, as it will officially kick off the J.J. McCarthy era after he was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
How McCarthy performs will likely determine the outcome of the Vikings‘ season. The front office has done a good job of surrounding him with as much talent as possible, but there are still some concerns heading into the opener. Perhaps the biggest of the bunch involves the status of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who has received a murky injury update ahead of this game.
Vikings Receive Christian Darrisaw Injury Update
The Vikings selected Darrisaw with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to be their left tackle, and he immediately manned the position on their offensive line. Darrisaw started all but two of the 41 games he played in over the first three seasons of his career, and his strong play earned him a four-year, $113 million contract extension ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Things were going well for Darrisaw until he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 8 last season, ending his campaign early. Since then, Darrisaw has been hard at work getting himself back to full health, with the goal being for him to be on the field alongside the rest of his teammates for Week 1.
Whether or not that’s a possibility is still unknown, even with kickoff for this game being only a couple of hours away. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Darrisaw’s injury status is currently up in the air, even though he’s logged a pair of full practices ahead of this clash with the Bears.
Christian Darrisaw has been limited over the last several weeks with a knee injury,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football.” “He was a full participant the last two days of practice this week, maybe that’s a good sign. He’s listed as questionable. I would expect the team to exercise caution with his murky status. Not saying he’s not gonna play, but it’s Week 1. If he’s not perfect, if he’s not truly ready, would not be surprised if they hold him out and roll with him Week 2.”
Will Christian Darrisaw Play for the Vikings in Week 1?
GettyLeft tackle Christian Darrisaw of the Minnesota Vikings.
If Darrisaw isn’t fully healthy, he appears to be right around the corner. However, as Rapoport noted, the Vikings could decide to play it safe with Darrisaw since it’s only the first game of the season. The team would rather have him on the field for a potential playoff run, rather than rushing him into action for this game against the Bears.
Right now, it seems like Darrisaw is 50/50 to take the field on Monday night. While Minnesota would obviously love to have him, the risk simply may not be worth the reward. Folks will be keeping a close eye on Darrisaw’s status, as we likely won’t know whether or not he’s playing until the Vikings reveal their inactives for the game.
Key Vikings Player’s Status Is ‘Murky’ for Season Opener, Insider Says