Rondale Moore injury update: Vikings WR carted off field during preseason game vs. Texans

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore was carted off the field after returning a punt in the second quarter of Saturday afternoon’s preseason game between the Vikings and the Houston Texans. He appeared to have suffered a leg injury.

This comes exactly one year and a day after he tore his ACL as a member of the Atlanta Falcons in training camp last August. Moore is heading into his fifth NFL season with his third different team.

A few of the guys have walked to the opposite sideline to kneel/pray for Rondale Moore pic.twitter.com/Eg14k8VBTW

— Jason Harmon (@_jason_777) August 9, 2025

“I talked to [Rondale] a little bit in the locker room,” Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson said on the broadcast. “Moments like these are difficult. Of course, with him being in my room, training with him, talking with him and coaching him, it definitely sucks to see anyone come out here and get hurt. Especially when it happens on your first opportunity. It’s gonna be a tough loss for us but we’re gonna be praying for him and have his back the whole entire way so that he can get back on this field.”

Moore was a four-star recruit out of Trinity High School in Louisville, KY in the Class of 2018. He was tabbed as the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Kentucky, No. 194 player nationally and the No. 38 wide receiver nationally. He was ranked ahead of wide receivers such as 2022 first round picks Chris Olave and Jahan Dotson.

The New Albany, IN committed to Purdue and head coach Jeff Brohm over in-state schools Kentucky and Louisville and enjoyed a monster freshman season. Moore burst onto the scene in the Big Ten with 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns, immediately establishing himself as one of the most explosive players in the country. He however never quite reached this level of success again, as he recorded just 657 yards and two touchdowns over his final two seasons.

Moore has unfortunate history of injury problems

The Arizona Cardinals took a chance on Moore in the 2021 NFL Draft and selected him in the Second Round with the No. 49 overall pick, providing quarterback Kyler Murray with an explosive weapon out of the slot. Just as he did at Purdue, he contributed his best professional season in his first year with the team.

In 2021, Moore caught 54 passes for 434 yards and one score. His production dropped though in each of the following two seasons, leading the Cardinals to send him packing to the Atlanta Falcons in a trade for quarterback Desmond Ridder in March 2024.

“Rondale might be one of the faster humans in the National Football League,” Falcons receivers coach Ike Hilliard said during OTAs prior to Moore’s injury last season, per Sports Illustrated. Before he could take a snap with Atlanta however, he was placed on season-ending injured reserve after tearing his ACL in training camp.

Minnesota signed Moore to a one-year, $2 million contract over the offseason, but his status for the 2025 season is now in jeopardy. He has played in just 33 of a possible 68 games through his first four seasons of professional football.