Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. gets knee surgery, expected to miss season

Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. underwent meniscus surgery Wednesday morning and is expected to miss the 2021 season.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told reporters about Smith's surgery at a news conference Wednesday. Doctors repaired the meniscus injury Smith sustained in the Vikings' final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday in Kansas City, Mo.

Zimmer said the team "doesn't known yet," when asked if Smith will return in 2021. Sources told ESPN, The Athletic and NFL Network that the injury will keep Smith off the field for four or five months, a timetable that would end his season.

"He is a good player," Zimmer told reporters. "They repaired the meniscus, which is the best thing for his longevity."

The Vikings acquired tight end Chris Herndon through a trade Tuesday with the New York Jets. The Vikings sent a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Jets in exchange for Herndon and a sixth-round pick in 2022.

Smith, 23, joined the Vikings as a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He pulled in 30 catches for a career-high 365 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games last season.

The Vikings face the Cincinnati Bengals at 1 p.m. EDT Sept. 12 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.