Vikings Should Consider Shutting Down a Star Player
The Minnesota Vikings should make the smart decision to shut down left tackle Christian Darrisaw. The star blocker has been in and out of the lineup all season long with his knee injury from last season, and it’s time to put an end to it.
Vikings Should Put Christian Darrisaw on Ice
Minnesota has a few franchise cornerstones like Justin Jefferson or Brian O’Neill, and Darrisaw is undoubtedly one of those. He’s supposed to handle the quarterback’s blindside for years to come, and the Vikings need to take care of him.
For the blocker, it hasn’t been an easy season. He suffered a significant knee injury last year, tearing his ACL in an October game in Los Angeles. Darrisaw underwent season-ending surgery, and the Vikings had to move forward with trade acquisition Cam Robinson.
This year, Justin Skule was hired in free agency to start until Darrisaw was ready. Well, he did start in Week 1 and Week 2, but it wasn’t pretty, perhaps forcing the Vikings to rush Darrisaw back. Neither Skule nor Robinson can replace the Pro Bowl-caliber protector.
Unfortunately, the early-season two-game absence wouldn’t be the end of Darrisaw’s struggles. He missed another complete game and had to exit several others early. Furthermore, he’s sitting out every practice on Thursday for rest purposes. This week, he even skipped Wednesday’s practice, hinting at even more issues than usual.
At this point, it’s no longer about managing the injury but about avoiding re-injury and reducing the risk of picking up another injury.
For as long as he’s dealing with the knee and has complications, there’s no reason to trot him out there on Sundays and risk further injury — especially if the season is pretty much over. The Vikings aren’t mathematically eliminated, but their playoff path is more a long-shot lottery ticket than a realistic scenario.
Darrisaw was drafted to become the franchise left tackle in 2021. A core muscle injury cost him the first few games, but once healthy, he immediately flashed his enormous potential. The Virginia Tech alumnus has the movement skills and the power to be an elite player.
His major jump happened entering year two. In training camp, he earned praise from his teammates and coaches, who even compared him to future Hall of Famer Trent Williams. His 2022 campaign was phenomenal, besides a couple of concussions that once again cost him some playing time.
The former first-rounder stayed in elite shape in 2023 and 2024, until disaster struck in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, he signed a big-time extension following his third season, ahead of 2024.
He picked the early guarantees over a potentially bigger paycheck in the following offseason and certainly made the right call. His deal is worth $104,000,000 for four campaigns. He’s signed through 2029. The Vikings want him to protect J.J. McCarthy (or his successor) for four more seasons, and that’s precisely why he should skip the next four games, take care of his injury, and return next season with a fully healed knee.
The 26-year-old has played in 58 career games with the Vikings, and that shouldn’t change until September.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.