The Minnesota Vikings haven’t been very active in free agency so far, but new acting general manager Rob Brzezinski is quietly working to improve the Vikings’ salary cap through smaller trades, restructuring existing contracts and terminating others. Some would say he’s cleaning up the mess left behind by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, which included a salary cap deficit of about $45 million this season and some bloated contracts.
Before free agency, Brzezinski and the Vikings targeted the contract Adofo-Mensah signed last year, but failed to keep the Vikings deep into the playoffs behind McCarthy. Javon Hargrave’s contract has been terminated. So does Jonathan Allen’s. Aaron Jones’ 2025 contract extension was restructured and took a pay cut. TJ Hockenson’s contract was also negotiated based on his market value.
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Brzezinski has also been dealing with Jonathan Greenard’s camp as they seek a raise. Greenard’s contract is below market value, but asking for a raise after a season in which he was sacked three times due to a shoulder injury is not an ideal situation to ask for. The Vikings responded by shopping Greenard as a possible trade partner. At present, the Hawks are rumored to be the most interested party, and negotiations have begun between the two veterans, Hawks general manager Howie Roseman and Brzezinski. How that trade plays out, if it does occur, could at least be a factor in whether Brzezinski removes the active or interim tag from his title.
Brzezinski also completed some simple restructuring of the contracts of Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw and Byron Murphy Jr. to free up needed cap space this year, and the Vikings are unlikely to terminate all three contracts early.
Brzezinski, meanwhile, is wary of the new contract he has signed. The only outside free agent the Vikings have signed so far is James Pierre, who was the top PFF coverage cornerback in the league last season and had the lowest passer rating and completion percentage allowed by the 29-year-old target. The deal is a two-year, $8.5 million total with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.25 million, making it a very valuable signing that is unlikely to factor into any compensatory draft picks the Vikings might receive next season.
If the Vikings sign Kyler Murray to the veteran minimum ($1.3 million), as widely expected, it would be another excellent value signing — possibly the most valuable in free agency this year — for arguably the best free agent quarterback.
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The Vikings and Brzezinski also sent Jalen Naylor to the Raiders on a 3-year, $35 million contract to at least become WR2 there. There’s no way Brzezinski or any Vikings GM would pay Naylor that much to be a WR3 in Minnesota, and Naylor would (rightly) want to move up the depth chart in some way. Brzezinski also waived pitcher Ryan Wright, who signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Saints. Wright had a decent season last year after struggling more in 2024, but a four-year contract with $3.5 million AAV and $8 million guaranteed is too high for Wright. So Brzezinski moved on.
But Brzezinski did re-sign some Vikings free agents who deserved new contracts, most notably linebacker Eric Wilson, who thrived as a blitzer in Brian Flores’ system and was also a leader on special teams. The nominal contract is for three years and is worth $22.5 million, of which $12.5 million is guaranteed. Further details have not been released, but it looks more like a two-year, $12.5 million contract for the 31-year-old, which includes a club option for a third year. That’s more or less in line with Wilson’s market value as a linebacker and key special teams player. Brzezinski also re-signed Tavierre Thomas, who is a backup safety/slot cornerback but is primarily a special teams ace. This is a modest 2-year, $4.6 million deal. In addition, Brzezinski signed exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) and restricted free agent (RFA) agreements with Jalen Redmond, Bo Richter, Zavier Scott and Ivan Pace at the league minimum salary. If Pace makes the 53-man roster, he will be paid $3.5 million as an RFA and there will be no cap if he does not make the 53-man roster.
Overall, Brzezinski is a tough and experienced negotiator who is widely respected around the league and agents. He probably won’t win many bidding wars unless people agree that the players are the most important thing – that’s not his style – but he can handle the business side of things professionally and brings a lot of experience to the role.
Will Brzezinski become the Vikings’ new general manager?
Brzezinski has been with the Vikings for nearly 30 years, serving as the Vikings’ chief contract negotiator and salary cap expert for most of that time. But he has never been a scout or talent evaluator. Therefore, if he were to become the Vikings’ next GM, he would rely more on the scouting department and coaching staff to evaluate players/prospects than some other GMs. But it could work for the Vikings, at least this year. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores does have a scouting background and can take the lead in evaluating defensive talent. Kevin O’Connell can do that on offense, while Brzezinski can handle the salary cap, contract negotiations, manage the draft, scouting and football operations staff.
We’ll see how things develop. stay tuned.