The Minnesota Vikings took a massive hit during their Week 8 Thursday night showdown against the Los Angeles Rams. Star left tackle Christian Darrisaw needs season-ending surgery after suffering a left knee injury during the 30-20 loss.
"I was holding out hope last night that the imaging would reveal a less significant injury, but unfortunately that is not the case. He did sustain a significant knee injury to his left knee, and it will require season-ending surgery. He will go on injured reserve today," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said on Friday. "We'll determine the best course of action in regards to the procedure that will repair the injury. I know CD will be right back where he was this year, which was one of the best left tackles in football, playing at a really high level."
Late in the second quarter, Darrisaw was rolled up on from behind, and had his left leg trapped under Jaylen McCollough as the defensive back made a tackle on Aaron Jones. Darrisaw remained on the turf for several minutes, before limping off the field to the locker room with assistance from trainers. He was replaced in the lineup by David Quessenberry.
Darrisaw is the Vikings' best offensive lineman: his 82.8 Pro Football Focus offensive grade ranks as the ninth-best in the NFL among offensive tackles with at least 100 snaps. He is excellent in the ground game, ranking as PFF's eighth-best run-blocking offensive tackle (82.3 PFF run-blocking grade) in the entire league. His absence will obviously be a major loss.
Just this past offseason, the No. 23 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech signed a massive four-year extension worth up to $113 million with $77 million guaranteed. It was the most lucrative left tackle contract in terms of AAV, before Darrisaw was eventually surpassed by 11-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers.