Jets' Eric Decker has hip surgery; rotator cuff procedure up next

New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker underwent hip surgery on Tuesday, pushing back his previously scheduled rotator-cuff surgery and jeopardizing his availability for the start of the 2017 season.

The hip procedure came as a surprise because neither Decker nor the Jets mentioned it last week, when he was placed on injured reserve due to the partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Hip surgery was "deemed necessary during an evaluation that occurred" at the time he was placed on IR on Oct. 12, the team said in a statement.

Decker won't have the shoulder surgery until he's off crutches, according to the Jets. They offered no timetable on that, but "it will be a little while for recovery," coach Todd Bowles said.

The recovery period is six months for the hip and eight months for the shoulder, the Jets said. In other words, if he needs a month on crutches, he won't be fully recovered from the shoulder surgery until mid-July.

Bowles said he's not sure if Decker will be ready for 2017.

"It's probably too early for that," he said. "I think it will be close. I have to see how he heals."

Decker, 29, injured his shoulder in Week 2, but he played every offensive snap the following week. After the game, a loss to the Chiefs in which he was held to one catch, he informed the medical staff that he had aggravated the injury.

An MRI revealed a partially torn rotator cuff. The hope was that rest and rehab would allow him to return this season, but he said the pain got worse, not better, making surgery an "easy decision."

Decker said last week that the procedure would take place "in the next week or two." It's not clear when his hip was injured.

This is another blow for the reeling Jets (1-5), who have dropped four straight games. Their offense hasn't been the same without Decker, who finished the season with nine catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns.