Rondale Moore’s comeback bid with Vikings ends painfully with season-ending knee injury

By Canadian Press on August 12, 2025.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rondale Moore, the fifth-year wide receiver and return specialist who was making a comeback attempt with the Minnesota Vikings, will miss a second consecutive season with a new team because of a knee injury.

The Vikings announced Tuesday that testing on Moore’s left knee confirmed a season-ending injury, without specifying the diagnosis. Moore, who spent his first three years in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, dislocated his right knee during training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 and never played for them.

Moore was hurt while returning a punt Saturday in Minnesota’s first exhibition game, tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Jamal Hill as he approached the sideline after a 2-yard return. Moore clearly sensed the seriousness of the injury, once he was helped onto a cart slamming his hand down so hard out of frustration the sound was audible throughout the stadium.

Afterward, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell described the situation as “heartbreaking” after seeing Moore’s comeback cut painfully short.

“I make a life out of trying to leave others better than I found them, and in that situation, there’s really nothing to do or nothing I can do, which is the worst feeling as a head coach,” O’Connell said. “So you just console them and make sure that he knows he’s not going to be alone.”

Moore was a second-round draft pick out of Purdue in 2021 by the Cardinals, for whom he played 39 games in three seasons plus one in the playoffs. He missed nine games to injuries in 2022.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Dave Campbell, The Associated Press