Morgan Whittaker Joins Colorado Rapids as Designated Player

Morgan Whittaker’s turbulent Middlesbrough chapter is over. His next stop: Colorado and a Designated Player role in MLS.

The 25-year-old forward has left Boro to join Colorado Rapids on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year. The fee is undisclosed, but the status says enough — he will occupy one of the Rapids’ prized DP slots under English head coach Matt Wells, with the club sitting seventh in the Western Conference.

For Middlesbrough, it closes the book on a short, streaky, often volatile spell.

Whittaker arrived at the Riverside in January 2025 for £5m from Plymouth Argyle, a mid-season signing secured after Boro fought off rival interest. On paper, it looked shrewd. In total he produced 14 goals in 66 games and finished last season as the club’s top scorer.

The route to that headline, though, was anything but straightforward.

First Half-Season

His first half-season on Teesside unravelled quickly. Whittaker failed to score in any of his first 16 appearances as Michael Carrick’s side slid out of play-off contention on the final day. The drought grew heavy. It stretched to 25 matches and turned sour enough that, in one game at Preston North End, he was actually cheered off when substituted.

Turning Point

Then the mood flipped.

He finally broke his duck in a win over Ipswich Town. Relief turned into momentum. Whittaker caught fire with eight goals in 12 games, including a ruthless run of scoring in six consecutive matches. By the end of the campaign he had hauled himself to the top of Boro’s scoring charts, even as their push for Premier League promotion was cut short in the play-offs.

This Season

This season began with him back in the XI. Whittaker featured five times in all competitions, starting all three Championship fixtures up to the victory over West Bromwich Albion on 29 August. But while he stayed in the team, Boro kept reshaping around him.

The club have brought in 12 new faces over the summer, among them on-loan Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, snapped up on deadline day. The rebuild under Carrick has been aggressive, and the decision to move on their top scorer underlines just how bold it is.

For Whittaker, the move to Colorado offers a reset and a prominent role in a growing league. For Boro, it’s another sharp turn in a squad overhaul that now has one clear question hanging over it: who steps up to replace the goals that finally started to flow?