The Minnesota Vikings have had to shuffle their pass-rushing group around this season, as Andrew Van Ginkel has missed all but the season opener and eight reps in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals. A neck injury and a concussion have sidelined him. Dallas Turner has moved up the depth chart in his absence and formed the starting duo with Jonathan Greenard.
Departed Vikings Defender Out for Season
The fourth guy in the mix from a year ago is no longer around. Patrick Jones, a 2021 third-round pick, left for the Carolina Panthers in March.
Unfortunately, he is lost for the season due to a back injury that will require surgery.
Darin Gantt of Panthers.com wrote Wednesday, “Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that outside linebacker Patrick Jones II would miss the rest of the season because of a back injury that will require surgery. Canales said after Jones had imaging done Monday, the determination was made that he’d need surgery.”
In four games this year, Jones has registered one sack and nine tackles.
“Jones played the full game Sunday against the Cowboys, but was the only player held out of practice on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Jones missed two games earlier this year with a hamstring. He had a key sack late into the win over the Dolphins earlier this year,” Gantt added.
Jones was part of the disappointing 2021 third-round Rick Spielman pulled off. Kellen Mond, Wyatt Davis, and Chazz Surratt were released rather quickly, but Jones actually stuck around through the regime change in 2022 and contributed in recent years.
Perhaps his breakout season came in 2024, when he racked up seven sacks, more than he had in his first three seasons combined (five).
In free agency, Jones signed a two-year contract in Carolina, paying him up to $20 million, including $10.25 million guaranteed. That’s a significant salary for a guy who had only started five games. Four of those came in 2023 when Marcus Davenport missed most of the season, and even D.J. Wonnum missed time later in the year.
Jones reunited with Wonnum in Carolina, who had left a year earlier and signed a comparable deal. Wonnum and Jones somehow prevailed over their competition for the starting jobs at outside linebacker.
Panthers coach Dave Canales described the injury, “It was something he woke up with Monday and he was in he was in a really bad spot, and so we just did the full evaluation and the imaging and all the things that go into that, and he was really upset and clearly because when he’s in there he’s such an impactful player for us, but I wanted to make sure that we did the right thing for Pat and and of course you know everyone in his camp, his family and his agent and people involved there making the right decision for Pat.”
With the ex-Viking now out for the year, the expectation is that rookie second-rounder Nic Scourton will have a more prominent role going forward.
Scourton said about the news, “It was honestly devastating. Just for my brother, man, because we’ve been battling injuries, and just coming back, and I really felt for him, and I know how much it hurt him to not be able to go play with his brothers. It really hurt me for Pat.”
The Vikings probably didn’t have too much of a problem with Jones’ departure, as that allowed the coaches to elevate sophomore Dallas Turner. The young defender has been an excellent player for Brian Flores’ unit in 2025, although the counting stats haven’t been there. He’s constantly putting pressure on opposing tackles while also helping in coverage, almost replicating Van Ginkel’s role.
It’s a big blow for Jones, who just turned 27, because it was the biggest chance of his NFL career. Who knows if he’ll get the chance to start going into 2026?
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
