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ESPN Dings Vikings for One Bad Offseason Move
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- ESPN Dings Vikings for One Bad Offseason Move
Jeffrey Becker
On April 24th, the Minnesota Vikings ended the Jonathan Greenard era after two seasons, obtaining a pair of 3rd-Round picks in exchange for Greenard and a 7th-Rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles . Most fans expressed mixed emotions over the swap, and that sentiment was not exclusive. ESPN came along this week and outlined its displeasure with the transaction.
In short, Bill Barnwell from that network was not impressed.
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Minnesota will now lean full tilt into the Dallas Turner era at outside linebacker, which might've been the plan for the last two years.
Vikings EDGE Plan Still Has a Clear Long-Term Logic
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard celebrates after recording a sack against the Chicago Bears during an NFC North matchup at Soldier Field. Greenard emerged as one of the league's most productive edge defenders during his first season in Minnesota, helping fuel Brian Flores' aggressive defensive scheme throughout the campaign. Nov. 24, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images.
Bill Barnwell: The Greenard Trade Was Not Good
Barnwell outlined the NFL's best and worst offseason moves this week, and regrettably, he twisted the knife on the Vikings' decision to trade Greenard.
"Worst: Trading Jonathan Greenard for two third-round picks. I can understand why the Vikings traded Greenard. Although he was excellent when healthy in his two years with Minnesota, injuries limited him to three sacks in 12 games in Year 2 after he racked up 12 sacks in Year 1," he explained .
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"The Vikings traded significant draft capital in 2024 to move up for Dallas Turner in the first round, and while I'm not sure his eight-sack total from 2025 really reflects Turner's true impact on the field, you can understand why the Vikings want to open up a starting role for the Alabama product. With Greenard wanting a new contract, a trade made sense. Did the Vikings really do themselves any favors by waiting until late April to deal Greenard? They landed only a pair of third-round picks from the Eagles."
Minnesota spent the first 3rd-Rounder on safety Jakobe Thomas , banked the other one for 2027, and used the salary cap relief from the Greenard trade to sign wide receiver Jauan Jennings .
Barnwell continued, "The Vikings were facing a difficult cap situation this offseason, but the four-year, $98 million deal Greenard signed with the Eagles is structured in a team-friendly manner. Greenard will have cap hits of $6.2 million in 2026 and $11.1 million in 2027."
"I understand wanting to open up more snaps for Turner, but for what they landed and what they apparently needed to pay Greenard to make him happy, I'd rather have kept one of my best players around for another year or two."
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Indeed, Getting Rid of the Best Defensive Players Is Risky
Barnwell isn't nuts here. While Greenard failed to accrue his typical sack total in 2025 — instead tabulating now-infamous "almost sacks" — he did not struggle putting pressure on quarterbacks and remained effective against the run.
A case can be made that defensive tackle Jalen Redmond was just as productive, if not more, than Greenard last year, but the fact remains that Greenard was a Top 5 Vikings player no matter what.
Most Super Bowl hopefuls don't trade their best EDGE defenders. They do the opposite. They hoard them. Like the Eagles, Greenard's new employer.
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Keeping the Budget Lean
Minnesota's mantra this offseason — that no one knew until a couple of days of free agency transpired — was pinching pennies. They signed Kyler Murray to an absurdly cheap deal, along with inking players like James Pierre (CB), Jauan Jennings (WR), and Ryan Van Demark (OT) to modest contracts.
Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski speaks during an interview with Vikings.com, discussing the organization's front-office philosophy and leadership structure. Long regarded as one of the NFL's premier salary-cap strategists, Brzezinski has played a significant role in shaping Minnesota's roster-building approach across multiple eras of team management. Feb. 17, 2022. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.
The Vikings could have spent much dinero in free agency, but that would've required sunsetting new, big contracts on the 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030 budgets. So, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski kept the spending low, resetting the financial situation so that when the 2027 offseason arrives, the club can actually be active in free agency.
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In short, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's large expenditures in 2024 and 2025 came home to roost. The Greenard trade was smushed right in the middle of that reality.
Barnwell Bullish on Kyler Murray
It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Vikings. Barnwell named Murray to Minnesota as one of the top offseason moves around the sport.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray delivers a pass during an NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Murray spent several seasons as Arizona's franchise quarterback before becoming one of the NFL's most discussed veteran signal-callers during later offseason quarterback movement and speculation. Jan. 17, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports.
He explained, "There's more to roster-building than sheer surplus value, but no deal has the potential to offer more upside in 2026 than this one. And given that the Vikings were facing down another season with J.J. McCarthy as their primary option under center, Murray addresses what might be their biggest position of need."
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"Barring the opportunity cost of finding out that McCarthy's suddenly the quarterback they expected to land in the first round two years ago, the Murray acquisition offers virtually no downside and a massive amount of upside."
And Barnwell is correct. It's still mind-boggling that Minnesota obtained Murray for $1.3 million . Doesn't seem real.
