Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd’s career is in jeopardy due to complications from knee surgery the former first-round draft pick underwent last fall.

The nerve that controls Floyd’s quadriceps was disrupted during an operation in September to clean up the meniscus in his right knee, and nearly six months later, the quad still isn’t firing, people with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose medical details.

Floyd’s agent, Brian Mackler, declined to comment on specifics of the injury but told USA TODAY Sports: “Sharrif is rehabbing, has seen some of the best doctors in the country, will continue to rehab and hopefully, this will heal sooner than later.”

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Floyd, 25, hasn’t addressed the matter publicly, other than via an Instagram post last weekend in which he pleaded with “the big guy #upabove” to “Grant me one last run, I promise I’ll lay my soul on the line.”

He’s due $6.757 million in 2017 under the fifth-year option the Vikings exercised last May – an indication Floyd could have been headed toward a much bigger payday sooner than later after a strong 2015 season. The option was guaranteed for injury, so the Vikings couldn’t have released Floyd or made him take a pay cut before it became fully guaranteed March 9.

Floyd’s health was a strange subplot during the Vikings’ tumultuous 2016 season. He appeared in just one game before having the surgery in September, but the Vikings didn’t put him on injured reserve until December. He underwent an additional procedure on the knee in the fall, one of the people said, but the quad issue persisted.

Knee problems have dogged Floyd’s promising career. He missed most of four games in 2015 following a cleanup on his left knee. He also had a minor procedure on the left knee during camp before his rookie season in 2013.

The 23rd overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Florida, Floyd has 9 ½ sacks and 95 tackles (57 solo) in 44 career games (24 starts).

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.

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