Jonathan Greenard has been dealing with a left shoulder injury since Week 10. Instead of continuing to play through it, the veteran edge rusher will undergo surgery. 
Greenard’s second season with the Vikings is now over as a result. The 2024 free agent signing missed two games as a result of the ailment, and upon returning to action he has handled only a part-time defensive workload. Sunday night’s game saw Greenard aggravate the injury, leading to today’s news.
“It was something he was playing through,” head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert). “He knew he would not be able to put this behind him until probably he got it fixed, whenever that was going to be. And just looking at coming out of [Sunday] and aggravating it and just it feels like the best time to do that now.”
Indeed, the Vikings had been officially eliminated from playoff contention by the time their win over the Cowboys took place. As such, there is little reason for Greenard to continue playing with surgery being required at some point. The 28-year-old does not have a recovery timeline in place, but he will of course look to heal in time for the 2026 offseason program this spring.
After playing out his rookie contract with the Texans, Greenard was one of the top pass rushers available on the open market last offseason. The former third-rounder cashed in with a four-year, $76MM Vikings deal, one which brought about immediate production. Greenard posted 12 sacks in 2024, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way. This season, he managed just three in 12 games while dealing with the injury.
With Greenard sidelined, Dallas Turner will likely take on a larger defensive role for Minnesota’s final three games. The 2024 first-rounder only logged a rotational workload as a rookie, but he has seen a notable uptick in usage in 2025. Turner has 5.5 sacks so far, and he could add to that total over the coming weeks as Greenard turns his attention to recovering.