Vikings running back Latavius Murray undergoes ankle surgery

The Minnesota Vikings signed Latavius Murray as a free agent last week, and this week he has undergone ankle surgery.

The Minnesota Vikings made the obvious decision to decline their 2017 contract option for Adrian Peterson, but it also put them in the market for a running back in free agency. They eventually signed Latavius Murray and subsequently went public shutting the door on any faint chance to bring Peterson back at a lower salary.

Murray was the Oakland Raiders’ leading rusher in 2016, with 788 yards along with 12 touchdowns on the ground (fifth in the league), and he also contributed in the passing game with 33 catches. He dealt with an ankle issue late in the season, without missing time due to the injury, but now the issue has re-surfaced.

According to a statement from the team, Murray had successful ankle surgery on Wednesday.

As suggested in the statement, the Vikings were aware Murray needed ankle surgery when they signed him. Ian Rapoport or NFL Network reported the exact issue for Murray was bone spurs, and it came fully to light during physicals on his free agent visits. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks also had Murray in for a visit, and apparently were sufficiently concerned about Murray’s ankle to not sign him.

Another slow free agent market for running backs probably explains why Murray remained available for a while, rather than his need for ankle surgery. But the ankle issue does possibly explain how his three-year, $15 million deal, as reported initially, is essentially a one-year deal (worth as little as $3.4 million) with two option years for the Vikings. Murray has played all 16 games just once in his career, so the team took minimal risk to bring him in as a replacement for Peterson.

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With a shade over four months to heal fully, Murray should be ready in plenty of time for training camp.