The Vikings have placed tight end John Carlson on injured reserve following a concussion, a move that will end his season, and possibly his career.
Carlson was hurt Dec. 8 at Baltimore and sat out last Sunday’s game against Philadelphia. The Pioneer Press reports he was cleared earlier this week to return to practice Wednesday. But he then had a setback and missed practices Thursday and Friday.
The Daily Norseman says Carlson doesn’t know how many concussions he’s had, but there have been at least three documented ones in his NFL career, and at least two more during his time at the University of Notre Dame.
As BringMeTheNews reported earlier, the Litchfield, Minnesota, native says the injury may lead to his retirement.
“That’s something that my wife and I will consider,” he said, adding that he has two kids and another on the way.
Carlson finished the season with 32 receptions for 344 yards in eight starts, according to Yahoo! Sports. Carlson signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Vikings in 2012.
“We haven’t had that discussion, but I’m sure it is one that we eventually will have,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said when asked if he had talked with Carlson about not playing football anymore.
As the Pioneer Press points out, it’s the second tight end to be shut down for the season by the Vikings. They had put previous starter Kyle Rudolph on injured reserve Dec. 9 after he had a setback in his recovery from a fractured foot suffered Nov. 3 at Dallas.
The Vikings will go Sunday at Cincinnati with the tight end combination of Rhett Ellison and Chase Ford.
The Vikings on Saturday also waived rookie cornerback Robert Steeples. They filled the two openings on the 53-man roster with running back Joe Banyard and defensive end Justin Trattou.
