Cardinals’ Michael Wilson Faces Challenging New Reality After Suffering Fractured Vertebra

The 2026 NFL season is already over for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson. The Cards star wideout will miss the remainder of the campaign with a neck injury that he suffered in the team’s Week 9 17-3 loss to reigning Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle. The season-ending news on Wilson emerged Monday, and it surprised many, since Arizona didn’t report anything about his injury after the Seattle game. Against the Seahawks, the 26-year-old Wilson led all players with 60 receiving yards with zero touchdowns on six catches and seven targets as the No. 1 option downfield for quarterback Gardner Minshew. With his injury, Wilson will have to wear a brace “for the next six weeks to two months,” sources told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN . Weinfuss also noted that Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is “worried about Wilson’s injury being long term.” Cardinals WR Wilson’s 2026 Season Cut Short by Injury Wilson was having another solid season before suffering the injury. He was on pace to record another 1,000-yard season after racking up 1,006 receiving yards to go with seven touchdowns on 78 receptions and 126 targets in 17 games in 2025. In nine games played in 2026, the former Stanford Cardinal star gathered 546 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 51 catches and 88 targets. Wilson’s breakout season in 2025 led to the Cardinals signing him to a three-year, $75 million contract extension in the summer . For now, Arizona will have to rely on the likes of wide receivers Reggie Virgil, Simi Fehoko and Devin Duvernay, along with star tight end Trey McBride to make things happen downfield for the team. Related content Rams Make a Huge Myles Garrett Flex After His Incredible Performance in Return From Injury Jordan Love’s Wife Drops a Cold 2-Word Post After Packers’ Patriots Demolition Broncos’ Sean Payton Apologizes to Reporter After Odd Interaction Geno Smith Had 1 of The Hardest Hits Ever by a QB During Jets-Chiefs Game The post Cardinals’ Michael Wilson Faces Challenging New Reality After Suffering Fractured Vertebra appeared first on Gridiron Heroics .