Six seasons into his career, wide receiver Mark Clayton was expected to bring a valuable veteran presence into the huddle in St. Louis this season, and hopefully earn himself a lucrative contract offer on the open market in the off-season.

But after suffering a season ending injury to his knee in yesterday’s crushing defeat on the road in Detroit, those plans have been put back on the shelf, as Clayton isn’t likely to find a team willing to give him the deal he’s looking for until he shows he can stay healthy for an entire year.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Clayton tore his patellar tendon and is expected to have surgery to repair it in the near future. Clayton is the second receiver to go down for the remainder of the year in St. Louis, with Donnie Avery suffering a knee injury in the pre-season.

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