The Christian Darrisaw Conundrum Continues to Get Worse
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings locked up left tackle Christian Darrisaw with a four-year contract extension. That made perfect sense given his talent at a premium position. Throw in the fact that they had just drafted a potential franchise quarterback, and there was no reason to bat an eye.
What looked like a manageable setback has stretched into uncertainty, leaving Minnesota stuck between caution, urgency, and unanswered questions about its cornerstone left tackle.
Unfortunately, they got just seven games from him before his knee was rolled up on and his season ended. Surgery was necessary, and while we still don’t know the full extent of the damage, it was substantial and expected to have a long healing process.
Darrisaw’s Timeline Is Becoming a Real Problem
Darrisaw wasn’t ready to go out of the gate in 2025, and that’s really not the worst part. It would have been straightforward if the Minnesota Vikings held out their stud bookend until he was completely cleared. The problem is that 14 games into the season, things are still lingering.
There was always going to be a level of attrition that could be attributed to the rigors of a regular season. Darrisaw is tasked with defending some of the best athletes on the other team each week. It’s problematic that he’s virtually never been anything better than a week-to-week question, and he’s still missing games.
Darrisaw is just 26 years old, and his body isn’t going to get healthier as he gets older. There is little for the Vikings to play for the rest of the way, and there’s next to no reason for Darrisaw to be pushed either. He had swelling in his knee last week, which kept him out of action for the Cowboys game. Whether that is mitigated or not, allowing it to replicate itself at any point the rest of the way makes no sense.
Minnesota has just three games remaining, and none of them carry weight from a results perspective. Darrisaw being available certainly benefits both J.J. McCarthy and the offense as a whole, but his potential to do further damage has ripple effects. It never should have progressed to this point, but whether it was Darrisaw’s fault, the medical staff’s, or no one’s, this is where things are.
The Vikings need to turn the page next season and have drastically better results. They aren’t going to do that without Darrisaw being regularly available, and the half measures haven’t worked at all this season. Get it right and get it behind you.
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