The Minnesota Vikings will play the final three games of the regular season without starting safety and team captain Josh Metellus due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery to repair.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed the news of Metellus’s status during a press conference on Wednesday, December 17.
“Along the same lines as JG, one of our captains, and a guy I could not respect more.”
“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. “Not stable enough, according to KOC.”
“Along the same likes as JG,” O’Connell said of Metellus. “One of our captains, and a guy I could not respect more.”
Josh Metellus Anchor of Vikings Secondary, Should Remain so for Years to Come
GettySafety Josh Metellus of the Minnesota Vikings.
Metellus is in his sixth year in the NFL and has developed into a regular starter over the past three seasons. All told, the 27-year-old defensive back has appeared in 96 games for Minnesota and started 44 of them, including all 14 in which he played this year.
Metellus finishes the season with 86 tackles, including one tackle for loss, six pass breakups, two interceptions, two quarterback hits and 0.5 sacks, per Pro Football Reference.
The Vikings signed Metellus to a three-year contract extension in July worth $36 million total, which keeps him under contract through the 2028 campaign. Minnesota initially acquired Metellus in the sixth round of the 2020 draft out of the University of Michigan.
Vikings Secondary Continues to Struggle With Depth, Reliable Talent at Cornerback Position
GettyCornerback Isaiah Rodgers of the Minnesota Vikings.
Metellus should be back fully healthy in plenty of time for training camp next season, which is good news for a Vikings secondary that continues a multiyear struggle to find consistency and establish depth across the unit.
The most recent example is cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, whom the team inked to an $11 million, two-year deal in the offseason with the hopes he could develop into a long-term answer at the outside cornerback position.
And while Rodgers began the season in tremendous fashion, producing perhaps the best single game of any cornerback in league history in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals (two defensive TDs, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, two pass breakups and an interception), the Vikings demoted him to a semi-reserve role playing predominantly in nickel sets over the past three weeks.
“It has been in the past two games where Rodgers has given way to Jay Ward, who is a cornerback but also mostly a safety in their base defenses,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on December 10.
Seifert continued, offering educated speculation that Rodgers’ future with the team may be in jeopardy, as he has just one year remaining on his deal and profiles as a potential salary cap casualty for a team that will need to clear upwards of $36 million this coming offseason.
“I don’t think Jay Ward projects as a longterm cornerback for this team in future seasons,” Seifert said, “but you also wonder if Isaiah Rodgers does, either.”
Lewis reported Wednesday that Ward will step into a bigger role at safety in the absence of Metellus, which may clear the way for Rodgers to get more snaps at cornerback and try to reestablish himself as a starter moving forward.
Vikings Lose $36 Million Team Captain to Season-Ending Surgery