Cardinals WR Michael Wilson Out for the Season With Fractured Vertebra
Arizona's leading receiver played through the neck injury in Seattle after getting hurt on the fourth offensive play, two months after signing a three-year, $75 million extension
Michael Wilson's season is over. The Cardinals receiver will miss the rest of the year with a neck injury, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday, and coach Mike LaFleur confirmed it Monday.
Sources: #AZCardinals WR Michael Wilson is out for the season after suffering a neck injury. Brutal.View on X →
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): Sources: #AZCardinals WR Michael Wilson is out for the season after suffering a neck injury. Brutal.
Wilson fractured a vertebra and is expected to be in a brace for the next six weeks to two months, a source told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. LaFleur said he isn't worried about the injury being a long-term problem.
The injury happened on Arizona's fourth offensive play of Sunday's 17-3 loss in Seattle. Wilson caught a 17-yard pass, landed on his head when Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon tackled him, and told the team only that he had a kink in his neck. He kept playing.
"He's such a warrior that he didn't think much of it," LaFleur said. "And then obviously when the adrenaline wore down and he got his test today, that's when we knew."
Wilson finishes with 51 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns, and he was on pace for a second straight 1,000-yard season. Arizona signed him to a three-year, $75 million extension in September with $47 million guaranteed. He also caught the tying touchdown with six seconds left in the overtime comeback at Dallas on Nov. 1.
He's the latest receiver Arizona has lost. The Cardinals traded Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston in Week 5, and Jalen Brooks and Kendrick Bourne are already done for the year. Simi Fehoko, Devin Duvernay, Reggie Virgil and Harrison Wallace III are the only receivers left on the active roster, with Zay Jones, Shedrick Jackson and James Proche II on the practice squad. LaFleur said he's never seen this many injuries at one position.
The quarterback throwing to them is also changing, with Gardner Minshew likely needing season-ending elbow surgery. Arizona (3-6) hosts the Rams on Sunday, Nov. 15.