The Minnesota Vikings received the worst possible injury news on superstar offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who injured his knee in Thursday night’s road game against the Los Angeles Rams.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Christian Darrisaw will require surgery on his injured knee and is out for the season. It’s the latest unfortunate break for the 2021 first-round pick, who missed a total of 10 games over his first three seasons.
Darrisaw suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. The Vikings’ offensive line struggled considerably without their star left tackle, as quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked twice in the fourth quarter in a 30-20 defeat.
#Vikings standout LT Christian Darrisaw suffered a knee injury that will require season-ending surgery, per source after the MRI. Brutal. pic.twitter.com/Ivb8rwnqoj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 25, 2024
The 5-2 Vikings have been one of football’s biggest surprises of the 2024 season, thanks to a balanced offense and an opportunistic defense. But the Vikings have now dropped two in a row and must get by without Christian Darrisaw, one of football’s premier offensive linemen.
The Darrisaw season-ending injury has swayed me.
The Vikings should not stand-pat at the deadline.
They should be sellers.
Everyone not in the 2025 plan should be made available.
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) October 25, 2024
Darrisaw signed a four-year contract extension worth up to $113 million in the offseason, cementing Minnesota’s left tackle position for the long run. Darrisaw was drafted 23rd overall by the Vikings in 2021 and quickly grew into the team’s top lineman.
Vikings Should Trade For O-Line Help Following Christian Darrisaw Injury News
With the Nov. 5 trade deadline approaching, don’t be surprised if the Vikings eye a short-term Christian Darrisaw replacement. Pending free agents like Joe Noteboom (Los Angeles Rams), Cam Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars), Tyron Smith (New York Jets), Morgan Moses (Jets), Jedrick Wills (Cleveland Browns) and Alaric Jackson (Rams) all make sense as possible trade targets.
The Vikings are still in a good spot to make the postseason, so GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell should be buyers leading up to the deadline. There’s too much talent on the roster for Minny to stand pat, so it only makes sense to aggressively pursue a move for o-line help.
