Broncos’ Aaron Patrick suffers season-ending knee injury colliding with sideline worker

Denver Broncos linebacker Aaron Patrick’s season is now over following an awkward sideline collision in Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

With the Broncos on the road in Inglewood, California, Patrick was attempting to tackle Chargers punt returner DeAndre Carter when his momentum carried him out of bounds and into an unidentified sideline worker. Exacerbating the situation was a narrow black carpet that caught Patrick’s left cleat during the collision.

On Tuesday the Broncos revealed that Patrick suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, which will require season-ending surgery.

With the Broncos on the road in Inglewood, California , Patrick was attempting to tackle Chargers punt returner DeAndre Carter when his momentum carried him out of bounds and into an unidentified sideline worker. Exacerbating the situation was a narrow black carpet that caught Patrick’s left cleat during the collision

Aaron Patrick (94) of the Denver Broncos lies on the ground after colliding with a middle aged sideline worker during overtime of the Los Angeles Chargers 19-16 win at SoFi Stadium

Aaron Patrick (94) of the Broncos kneels on the ground after colliding with a sideline worker

His agent, Lamont Smith, told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero in a text message that the carpet may have contributed to his client’s injury

Aaron Patrick was an undrafted free agent whose $825,000 salary isn’t guaranteed 

His agent, Lamont Smith, told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero in a text message that the carpet may have contributed to his client’s injury.

‘I was very disturbed about the way the injury occurred with the carpet being on the sideline like that,’ Smith said in the message. ‘His cleat got lodged in the carpet trying to avoid the media person.’

Smith did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for further comment.  

This is hardly the first injury resulting from the many physical dangers encircling NFL playing fields.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Johnathan Abram injured his shoulder and collarbone when he ran into a television cart during a 2020 game. Previously, in 2015, then-San Francisco 49ers running back Reggie Bush slipped on slick concrete at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and suffered a season-ending knee injury. Bushed sued the Rams, who now have since moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and ultimately won $12.45 million in damages.

But the impact of Patrick’s injury could be far more disastrous, financially speaking.

While Abram remains on a partially guaranteed contract after amassing $11 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac, and Bush made $63 million in salary, Patrick was an undrafted free agent whose $825,000 salary isn’t guaranteed. Including this season, he’s earned just $1.4 million in his brief career, and it’s unclear if he’ll have a chance to sign another contract in the NFL.

And the news isn’t much better for the Broncos, who have now lost five players to torn ACLs this season.

‘I think a lot of the injuries that we’re having are kind of crazy from the standpoint of the amount of ACLs,’ head coach Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday.

In 2015, then-San Francisco 49ers running back Reggie Bush slipped on slick concrete at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and suffered a season-ending knee injury. Bushed sued the Rams, who now have since moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and ultimately won $12.45 million in damages