The linebacker tandem of Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman flashed well last year. It was the Minnesota-native Cashman that came home after Jordan Hicks signed with the Cleveland Browns.

Hicks signed a two-year deal with Cleveland for $8 million. The veteran played the first year of that contract in 2024, but that’s where things will end.

Jordan Hicks retiring from the NFL

The Cleveland Browns linebacker position lacked depth this season. They targeted Carson Schwesinger in the NFL Draft, and assumed that veteran Jordan Hicks would be present for the second year of his deal. He was absent at the start of training camp, and now has provided a reason why.

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A post shared by Jordan Hicks (@jhicks_3)

Last season, his only one with the Browns, Hicks played in 12 games. He missed time due to a multitude of different injuries last season, and famously suffered a serious injury with Minnesota in 2023.

Hicks suffered a shin contusion against the New Orleans Saints on November 12, 2023. It didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary, but developed into compartment syndrome and needed to be rushed to the hospital. He returned six weeks later and finished the final three games of the regular season.

With Cleveland last season Hicks recorded two sacks and 78 tackles. He added four tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. It was the culmination of 10 seasons in the NFL. He concludes his career with 16.5 sacks and 952 total tackles.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Tight End Quietly Sitting on Big Season?

Hicks spent two seasons with Minnesota and was seen as a solid veteran leader. His only career fumble return for a touchdown came on October 15, 2023 against the Chicago Bears.

At 33 years old Hicks has plenty of life ahead of him to live. He earned just shy of $44 million over the course of his career. The veteran linebacker also leaves the game with a Super Bowl Ring from his 2017 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cleveland Browns will now have to figure out how they’ll move forward at the position. It’s just the latest iteration of another knock against an organization that has become synonymous with them.

Scrollers Beware: Remember what happened to Jordan Hicks during Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints?

You might want to stop scrolling now, if you have an easily upset stomach. It was described as a horrifying injury, something that could have caused him to lose his leg, had he and the Vikings medical staff not gotten him help as quickly as they did. Here’s the story, as it was told to former NFL linebacker Justin Pugh.

To our Brownies fans – you’re getting a DAWG with @JordanHicks 😤

This move by the #Browns isn’t being talked about enough! https://t.co/wv70QCnKtz pic.twitter.com/n8FEWDw3p8

— NetWorth with Justin Pugh (@NetWorthShow) June 21, 2024

“Jordan had this compartment syndrome in his leg, where he got hit twice in a row on his leg, it was like an insane bruise, the pressure couldn’t escape. He almost lost his leg last year. He sliced that thing open, let the pressure drain out of his leg, literally cut his leg wide open and just let it sit there in the hospital for a few weeks, sewed it back up, and was back on the field. That’s the kind of dog the Cleveland Browns are getting next year.”

Justin Pugh – Net Worth Show

Just to correct the record, I do not believe Jordan Hicks cut his own leg open, thus saving it from amputation, like Pugh seemed to suggest in that clip. But someone else certainly did. Hopefully it was a doctor, because the image you are about to see if you continue reading any further is… something else.

You can’t unsee Jordan Hicks’ compartment syndrome photos

If you get queasy easily, I’d recommend just trusting my judgement so you can go on and enjoy your Friday night because this is not pleasant. We’ve all had bruises on our shins, from one thing or another, but you’ve never had a shin bruise so bad that you had to cut your leg open and leave it for weeks, before having it stapled back up.

If you are still here… don’t say I didn’t warn you.

It is honestly a miracle that Hicks realized something was very very wrong and that the Minnesota Vikings medical staff got him to a hospital fast enough to make sure this didn’t get any worse than it already looks above.

Miraculously, Jordan Hicks was back on the field for the MN Vikings before the season was over. Remember, the above injury happened in week 10. That’s insane. Pugh is right. He may not be a Viking anymore, but he is certainly a warrior, no matter what team he plays for.

But 6 weeks later, Jordan is eager to put his leg injury behind him and get back on the football field. Monday, he took another step in that process when he was activated off injured reserve and into his 21-day practice window. For most players, that means they have three weeks to ramp up before being officially activated to the 53-man roster.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Playoff Odds – Week 16

Jordan Hicks status for Minnesota Vikings vs Detroit Lions

But on Tuesday we found out that may not be the case for Mr. Hicks. According to Alec Lewis (The Athletic), Minnesota’s inside linebacker is trying to return as soon as possible. How soon is that? How about this coming Sunday vs the Detroit Lions.

Vikings LB Jordan Hicks said today that he is working to play this weekend. He is about five weeks removed from compartment syndrome, suffered in Week 10 against the Saints. There's no question his experience would help MN defense down the stretch.

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) December 19, 2023

But Hicks’ mission to play football this weekend didn’t stop with what he told Alec. A couple hours later, Jordan got on KFAN radio with Dan Barreiro, where he went deeper into how good he feels and how determined he is to put the pads back on.

Barreiro: “Are you going full, you going 50%? Do [they have a process] to ramp you up?”

Hicks: “Full go, baby. Full go. We did all the ramp up these past couple weeks, when I was feeling like I could go. My body’s been pushed, obviously there’s gonna be a difference between being out there and running gassers and doing different things on the field by myself, but we tried to push it as much as possible so today was a full go.”

“Wind is feeling good, body’s feeling good, shin is feeling good, so I’m ready to go.”

Jordan Hicks – KFAN Radio

Hicks hinting that return vs Lions is likely, in his eyes

This is what I love about longer form interviews with Barreiro. Hicks had just met with Vikings beat writers in a scrum style informal little press conference right before speaking with Dan. He was able to make it clear then that he was hoping to play on Sunday.

Related: Vikings Expected to Stick with QB Nick Mullens vs Lions, as Playoffs Loom

But on KFAN, Dan kept poking and prodding and Hicks continued to open up about how far along he is in his recovery process and just how confident he is that he’ll be playing vs the Lions.

Hicks: “I’ve got 100% confidence in where I’m at. There’s a process and I’ve gotta still check off some boxes, right. Again, it’s just like the rest of this whole situation. I’ve been feeling good, I’m ahead of schedule and things are optimistic.”

Barreiro: “Is it unrealistic to think that you could participate this Sunday, Christmas Eve?”

Hicks: “No, no… it’s not at all.”

Jordan Hicks – KFAN Radio

The Minnesota Vikings defense has been playing really well, even without Jordan Hicks. Still, it would be a great boost if he can get back on the field in the team’s biggest game of the season and one that has all sorts of playoff implications.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Defense Rankings 2023 – Week 16

Ivan Pace Jr has been great wearing the green dot on his helmet. But at the end of the day, he is still an undrafted rookie and Jordan Hicks is a grizzled veteran who has a proven track record and leadership that is impossible for Pace to match, at this point in his career.

Hicks rushed to hospital after Vikings win

On Sunday, however, Hicks went straight from the U.S. Bank Stadium field to a nearby Twin Cities hospital for something called “compartment syndrome’ (more below), which developed over the course of their win vs the New Orleans Saints, into an emergency that needed immediate medical attention.

Obviously, Hicks won't play this week vs. the Broncos, O'Connell said. But no immediate roster move with him yet. Hicks is a team captain and much loved by teammates and coaches. O'Connell said he hopes to visit him in the hospital today.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) November 13, 2023

The description for ‘compartment syndrome’ at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is rather gut-wrenching to read. I can only imagine how brutal Hicks shin looked and felt, as he was rushed from the stadium to a hospital yesterday afternoon.

Related: Vikings Path to the Playoffs is Downhill, Freshly Paved and Wide Open

Compartment Syndrome

Compartment syndrome is a painful condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels. This pressure can decrease blood flow, which prevents nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells.

Compartment syndrome can be either acute (having severe symptoms for a short period of time) or chronic (long-lasting).

• Acute compartment syndrome is a medical emergency. It is usually caused by a severe injury and is extremely painful. Without treatment, it can lead to permanent muscle damage.
• Chronic compartment syndrome, also known as exertional compartment syndrome, is usually not a medical emergency. It is most often caused by athletic exertion and is reversible with rest.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Vikings place Jordan Hicks on injured reserve

On Tuesday, the Vikings officially placed Hicks on injured reserve, meaning he’ll be out for at least four weeks.

#Vikings have placed LB Jordan Hicks on IR.

RB Myles Gaskin has been signed to the practice squad and DL Michael Dogbe has been released from the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/hOHqvhbw8T

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 14, 2023

Related: Kevin O’Connell for NFL Coach of the Year?

So if you were still scratching your heads about why the team signed Anthony Barr, now you know. We’ll see if he has anything left in the tank. If so, I’d expect to see him back in a Vikings uniform pretty soon.

But if you take insider reports and executive quotes at face value, it’s clear the Vikings are approaching this offseason with a win-now mentality. That will mean stretching a tight budget, moving money around and making smart, productive signings.

So when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stepped up to the podium for his annual pre-combine press conference, media members prodded the Vikings’ general manager trying to find hints into what his plans are to shape and reconstruct this roster.

Of course, Kwesi wasn’t going to approach the microphone with a “keep/cut list” to show the masses. But he did give us a lot of insight into what his plans are, both in what he said and what he didn’t say.

Kirk Cousins is good enough.

The topic of Kirk Cousins’ future came up early, as expected. Will the Vikings extend Kirk or play him on his expiring contract for this season? How desperate is Kwesi to find the next quarterback for his football team?

Well, Adofo-Mensah was honest. He didn’t dub Cousins as “elite” or confess his love for the starting QB. Instead, he talked about two quarterback tiers. QBs who can help a team go to the Super Bowl and QBs who cannot. Kirk Cousins, the GM says, “meets that (Super Bowl) threshold, we know that”.

#Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah voiced his confidence in Kirk Cousins when asked about evaluating the QB position at the NFL Combine: pic.twitter.com/U4PmVjxpnf

— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) February 28, 2023

Recent reports from Tom Pelissero (NFL Network) say the Vikings will either sign Cousins long term or they will ride out the final year of his current deal. No more one-year extensions.

Justin Jefferson extension is high priority.

Technically, the Minnesota Vikings do not have to extend Justin Jefferson until next offseason. But Kwesi & Co aren’t going to wait for Earth to travel around the Sun one more time. Nah, the Vikings are ready to put JJ in purple for the foreseeable future ASAP and it’s clear that’ll be one of the first dominoes to fall this offseason.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Jefferson and Cousins’ extensions both happen in close time proximity to one another.

Listened to Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s combine presser from here in Minnesota. Highlights via thread:

1/No surprise, but he called a contract extension with Justin Jefferson a “high priority” and added: “I don’t want to be the Vikings’ GM without that guy on our team.”

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) February 28, 2023

Non-Committal on Dalvin Cook

When asked directly about Dalvin Cook’s future, Kwesi was non-committal. He stayed away from what Cook has provided the Vikings on the field, deciding instead to highlight the type of person Dalvin is.

Recently, reports have surfaced saying Cook is not willing to take the type of paycut he will have to if he wants to remain a Viking. On Monday, Cook’s agent took to Instagram to complain about how often his client gets the football with Kevin O’Connell scheming and play-calling the offense.

All signs point to a divorce coming between Cook and the Vikings.

2/ No direct answer when asked if he anticipated RB Dalvin Cook would remain on the roster. Noted “great player and great leader” but “in the NFL, you have a lot of constraints, salary cap different things, and we’re trying to figure out how we can operate in those things.”

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) February 28, 2023

Goodbye Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks

The easiest way for the Minnesota Vikings to find cap space and lose as little as possible on the field is at the middle linebacker position. Both of the team’s MLBs last season, Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, played terribly last season.

Kendricks never appeared comfortable in a 3-4 scheme and Jordan Hicks provided little of the stability he was supposed to when signed prior to the season. If the Vikings move on from both players, they’d save about $15 million against the cap next season.

Kwesi made it obvious on Tuesday, by what he didn’t say, that both Kendricks and Hicks won’t be on roster much longer. When discussing the linebacker position, the Vikings GM mentioned Brian Asamoah, Troy Dye and Will Kwenkeu (who?) but never once mentioned Kendricks or Hicks.

When asked about the linebacker position at the NFL Combine, #Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah mentioned Brian Asamoah, Troy Dye, and even Will Kwenkeu.

Not a word about Eric Kendricks or Jordan Hicks, who are both under contract for 2023. pic.twitter.com/jv0W26bBeK

— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) February 28, 2023

Bring Tomlinson back, affinity for Flores

A couple other notes include the Vikings’ hopes to sign Dalvin Tomlinson to a contract extension. This isn’t a surprise, given the two sides agreed last week to move his void date from February to mid-March.

Kwesi was also asked about new defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, who he clearly has high hopes for.

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah raved this morning about the Brian Flores hiring.

“He has a really extensive personnel background, so it’s not just about the players we draft this year or in free agency, it’s about reshaping our vision for the roster going forward.”

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) February 28, 2023

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

(Featured Image: Dave Berding – Getty Images)