Vikings safety Josh Metellus joins Jonathan Greenard on IR because of season-ending surgery

The Vikings will end their 2025 season without another defensive leader, as coach Kevin O’Connell announced Wednesday that safety Josh Metellus will head to injured reserve and undergo shoulder surgery.

Metellus joins outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, whose own season-ending shoulder surgery was announced Monday, on injured reserve.

O’Connell said Metellus’ shoulder has been evaluated on a weekly basis and it was determined early this week that Metellus’ shoulder was “not stable enough” and it was time to fix it rather than risk further injury.

“One of our captains and a guy that I cannot respect more for the toughness he’s shown playing with that injury here as we’ve kind of approached the tail end of the season,” O’Connell said. “Just pushed through a lot this year, continuing to lead at such a high standard.”

Metellus suffered a shoulder injury that required evaluation in the medical tent during the Vikings’ loss to the Packers on Nov. 23. He did not miss time because of the injury but wore a brace on his left shoulder in the following three games.

Back in training camp, Metellus also landed badly on the same shoulder during joint practices with the Patriots, leaving him sore and requiring further evaluation.

Metellus, who signed a three-year, $36 million contract extension in August, will close his season with 86 tackles, a half sack, two quarterback hurries and two interceptions. He had a season-high 12 tackles against the Packers despite his injury.

A big part of that will be guiding the players who will take over for them in the closing weeks: Dallas Turner for Greenard, and both Jay Ward and Theo Jackson for Metellus.

“You’ll see Jay Ward more in a little bit more of some of those packages,” O’Connell said. “Obviously we’ve tried to get Jay Ward on the field a little bit more with the different circumstances at the corner position, the safety position here and there just by the type of season he’s had and the growth that he’s had. I think it’ll be a great opportunity for him to continue to kind of build upon the positive things he’s been doing.”

Ward has played more snaps than Jackson in recent weeks, in part due to Jackson dealing with a neck injury that kept him out of two games.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores said Tuesday that the usage of each player depends weekly on their roles in certain packages. Jackson typically fits more closely to Harrison Smith’s free safety role, while Ward has been used more in the box, up front or at corner.

O’Connell also announced Wednesday that the Vikings will open tight end Gavin Bartholomew’s practice window.

The Pittsburgh product has been around the locker room more in recent weeks. He’ll return to a stacked tight end room that includes T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Sims and Ben Yurosek, who are all on the active roster.

Bartholomew was a limited participant Wednesday.

Also limited for the Vikings were wide receiver Jalen Nailor (back) and linebacker Austin Keys (ankle). Nailor hurt his back on his first touchdown catch against the Cowboys on Sunday but returned to the game.

Four players did not practice for the Vikings: Left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee), defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (thigh), center Ryan Kelly (knee) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (heel). Hargrave and Kelly were set to have magnetic resonance imaging exams this week after exiting the Cowboys game because of injuries.

Running back Ty Chandler (knee), in his 21-day window to return from injured reserve, was a full participant.