Andrew Sendejo's season is over after Vikings put him on injured reserve

Andrew Sendejo's season is over.

The Vikings put the veteran safety on injured reserve Tuesday after he had been sidelined the past six weeks because of a groin injury.

Rookie Craig James, a former Gophers and Southern Illinois cornerback, was promoted from the practice squad.

The Vikings defense, dealing with cornerback Xavier Rhodes' hamstring injury, also re-signed former Gophers cornerback Jalen Myrick to the practice squad and waived defensive end Jonathan Wynn with an injury designation.

Sendejo, 31, practiced as recently as Week 9 and was listed as a full participant in the last practice before the Nov. 4 win against the Lions. But he didn't play and hasn't practiced since.

Sendejo's time with the Vikings could be over. The Vikings have a 2019 team option on his contract worth $5.5 million. It would be his highest career salary and put him in the top 25 for safety pay, so his future in Minnesota might depend on a reworked contract.

The Vikings will have multiple decisions to make at safety. Anthony Harris (restricted) and George Iloka (unrestricted) are set to become free agents. Harris has started the past four games for Sendejo.

One of the longest-tenured Vikings, Sendejo has started 61 games since he was first signed in November 2011. He has 20 pass deflections, seven interceptions and a forced fumble in his career.

Sendejo, in his ninth season, suffered a groin injury in a Week 5 victory in Philadelphia. He was the second-oldest Viking behind Tom Johnson.

James signed with the Vikings in May after going through the rookie minicamp as an undrafted free agent. He spent the first two seasons of his college career with the Gophers before transferring to SIU.

Myrick played in five NFL games with Jacksonville in 2017.

Though Vikings receiver Adam Thielen — who leads the league with 93 receptions, ranks second with 1,138 receiving yards and is tied for fifth with eighth touchdowns — is playing on a contract that has him ranked 49th at his position, in terms of average annual value, he is in line to give himself another raise.

Thielen, who already triggered a $600,000 bonus by surpassing 80 catches for the season, can earn another $500,000 if he is selected to his second Pro Bowl next month.

He bumped his 2018 salary from $2.85 to $3.85 million by surpassing 90 catches last year, and already has boosted his 2019 salary from $3.85 to $5.85 million by triggering a pair of $1 million salary escalators for 90-catch seasons in 2017 and 2018, and could nudge his 2020 salary from $5.35 to $8.35 million if he adds another 90-catch season next year.

Thielen already has added $3.6 million in incentives and escalators to the four-year, $19.246 million contract he signed before the 2017 season.

Another $500,000 likely will be coming in the form of a Pro Bowl pick next month and another $4.1 million is available to him in 2019 if he has another 90-catch Pro Bowl season.

Receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive end Danielle Hunter and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson are among the Vikings whose performance could boost the value of the contracts they signed earlier this year. If Diggs, who has 79 catches for 790 yards this season, eclipses 100 catches or 1,375 yards this season, he can add $666,666 to his 2021 base salary, $750K to his 2022 base and $800K to his 2023 base by triggering an escalator clause in his contract.

Hunter, who has 11.5 sacks, can make an extra $500,000 in 2019 if he gets to 13 sacks, and an extra $1 million with 15 sacks. He has the same escalator clause each year of his deal.

Richardson, who has 3.5 sacks this season, can earn a $666,667 bonus if he reaches six sacks. He'd get $1,333,333 for eight sacks, and $2 million for 10 sacks.

He'd also receive $500,000 for a Pro Bowl selection, and $1 million if he is picked as a first-team All-Pro (though his contract states he can only be paid for either the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro bonus, not both).