The Minnesota Vikings are sending another top player to the injured reserve list (IR) ahead of their matchup with the New York Giants in Week 16.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on that left tackle Christian Darrisaw is done for the season after the Vikings tagged him with an IR designation on Friday, December 19.
“The #Vikings are placing LT Christian Darrisaw on IR because of a knee injury, one of several players who have battled to stay on the field while the team was fighting for the playoffs,” Rapoport posted to X.
Darrisaw tore the ACL and MCL in his knee during the middle of last season, which cost him the remainder of the year as well as the start to 2025. He returned to the field for the first time in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals but dealt with snap-count management in some future games as well as simply sat out others.
The 26-year-old offensive lineman, who who recently signed a $104 million deal that keeps him under contract through the 2029 campaign, appeared in seven contests last year and 10 games this season. All told, he will have participated in exactly half of the Vikings’ regular season contests over the past two years.
Vikings Sent Jonathan Greenard, Josh Metellus to IR Earlier This Week
GettyEdge-rusher Jonathan Greenard of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell this week also announced that edge-rusher Jonathan Greenard and safety Josh Metellus will finish the campaign on IR due to shoulder injuries that will both require surgery to repair.
“Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell says S Josh Metellus will get his shoulder repaired as well, similar to Jonathan Greenard,” Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported via X Wednesday. “Not stable enough, according to KOC.”
“One of our captains, and a guy I could not respect more,” O’Connell said of Metellus.
Greenard took a significant step back this season after he was among the team’s biggest free-agent acquisitions ahead of the 2024 campaign. The defensive end produced 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks last season, earning the first Pro Bowl honors of his career.
This season, Greenard tallied 10 tackles for loss and three sacks in 12 games.
Losing Christian Darrisaw for Final 3 Weeks Matters, Mostly to JJ McCarthy
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
The Vikings (6-8) are on a two-game winning streak, which is obviously far more in jeopardy against the New York Giants Sunday than it would be if Darrisaw, Greenard and Metellus were playing.
But with the playoffs no longer a possibility, Minnesota is better off losing and moving up the draft board. That said, morale has been an issue at times this season after a 14-3 campaign last year and legitimate excitement around the franchise’s immediate prospects.
The middle ground is remaining competitive, which several players on the roster have incentive to do — namely quarterback JJ McCarthy. And more than losing, the bigger risk the team runs in shelving Darrisaw involves the protection that deprives the 22-year-old signal-caller.
McCarthy (4-4) has posted solid performances in back-to-back outings for the first time in his career. He has suffered two injuries this season that have cost him six total games, a high-ankle sprain and a concussion. Poor offensive line play, exacerbated by injuries to multiple players, has been part of the problem.
Furthermore, the team needs as much and as accurate information as it can get on McCarthy’s talent/development before the offseason, when it will decide on who else to pursue to round out the QB room. Thus, losing Darrisaw has serious implications, even with the postseason out of the picture.
Vikings Get More Bad Injury News, as $100 Million Star Hits IR