National Football League

Harvin out until at least November

Published Jul. 30, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Mike Garafolo

Percy Harvin explored the possibility of playing through the pain. But in the end, he and the doctors involved decided on surgery.

Harvin announced on his Twitter account Tuesday that he will have surgery to repair a torn hip labrum that has been bugging him since the spring. A source told FOX Sports that Dr. Bryan Kelly, who examined Harvin in New York on Tuesday, will perform the surgery on Thursday. The source said Harvin will rehab in New York for two weeks before returning to Seattle to continue his rehab.

As for when Harvin will return to the field and play his first game with the Seahawks, the source said, "Right after Thanksgiving or early December."

"[When] everything is goin good sometimes life throw u a curve ball..." Harvin wrote on his Twitter account. "sorry to half to report that my injury will require surgery...

"Nobody was more anxious and excited about season then....but I will be back strong as ever..i appreciate all the love and prayers 12th man"

The source who was informed of Harvin's surgery said the Seahawks' doctors believed Harvin could play through the injury, though the source said Harvin was experiencing pain even while walking and not just while going through football activities.

The source said Kelly, who is known to only suggest surgery when necessary, laid out a few scenarios for Harvin. In one of those scenarios, he could return to action in the near future, but need surgery later in the year anyway. In that case, Harvin would have been out through the end of the regular season and perhaps the postseason.

In the end, a collective decision was made to have surgery now, rather than risk making the injury worse by trying to play through it.

So Harvin begins his Seahawks career as an inactive member of the roster after the team gave him a six-year, $67 million contract that included $25.5 million in guaranteed money. Harvin's 2013 payouts include no per-game roster bonuses or any language that would protect the Seahawks against his being unavailable due to injury. In other words, he makes the same amount this season whether he plays or doesn't.

The source informed of Harvin's surgery and condition said he was complaining of hip pain to the Seahawks as early as this spring during organized team activities. Had Harvin undergone surgery at that point, he might have been ready for the start of the season.

As it stands now, the Seahawks will try to compete with the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West without a player they believed would be a difference-maker. Harvin, who was an MVP candidate early last season before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury, made his decision to undergo surgery with the belief he'd be fully healthy for the stretch run, rather than having to battle through an injury that nagged him all season.

The Seahawks can either place him on the physically unable to perform list or put him on injured reserve with a designation to return at some point this season. Given the fact there's only one IR spot that allows a player to return, and that only players who were injured before the start of training camp are eligible for PUP, it would seem likely Seattle would opt for the PUP designation.

Players on the PUP list must be inactive for the first six weeks of the season. After that, they have a five-week window to return to practice and then another three-week window to play in a game. That means Harvin would be eligible to return anywhere between Weeks 7 and 15.

The time frame for Harvin's return means he'll likely miss the Nov. 17 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, who received a first- and a seventh-round pick from Seattle in exchange for Harvin.

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