Vikings Place Christian Darrisaw on IR, Ending a Frustrating, Injury-Plagued Season
The Minnesota Vikings made it official on Tuesday: standout left tackle Christian Darrisaw is headed to injured reserve, shutting him down for the remainder of the 2025 season. It’s a move that felt inevitable for weeks, as Darrisaw battled lingering knee issues and never quite looked like himself following his ACL recovery from last year.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed the decision during his press conference, bringing clarity to a situation that had grown increasingly murky. Darrisaw had been notably silent with the media, a sign that things weren’t trending in the right direction. Now we know why.
Let’s be clear-this is a significant loss for Minnesota. When healthy, Darrisaw is one of the league’s most promising young tackles, a cornerstone of the Vikings’ offensive line.
But this season, he just couldn’t stay on the field. He’s exited multiple games early, missed four others entirely, and last suited up against Washington earlier this month.
The knee simply hasn’t held up.
And the numbers back it up. Darrisaw has allowed 18 pressures, four quarterback hits, and two sacks this season.
He’s been flagged eight times, and his Pro Football Focus grade-65.9-ranks him 42nd out of 82 qualifying tackles. That’s a far cry from the dominant force we’ve seen in previous years, where he consistently graded out as one of the top blindside protectors in the league.
This wasn’t just a physical setback-it was a performance one, too. The Vikings had to weigh the risk of pushing a not-fully-recovered Darrisaw through the final stretch of the season against the long-term value of getting him right for 2026. They chose the latter, and it’s hard to argue with that call.
Left tackle is the second most important position in football, and Minnesota needs Darrisaw at full strength if they’re going to build a sustainable offense moving forward. Shutting him down now gives him a head start on rehab, a chance to reset both physically and mentally after a frustrating year.
There’s no question about the talent. When Darrisaw is healthy, he’s elite.
But this season was a reminder of how thin the margin can be in the trenches. The Vikings will have to patch things together on the O-line for the final three games, but the bigger picture is clear: getting Darrisaw right is a top priority for this franchise.
For now, the focus shifts to his recovery-and the hope that 2026 brings a return to form for one of the NFL’s most promising young linemen.