Packers' Javon Hargrave: Inks two-year deal with Green Bay
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The Packers agreed to terms with Hargrave on a two-year, $23 million contract Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Hargrave was released by Minnesota in a cost-cutting move earlier Wednesday. He quickly lands back on his feet with the division-rival Packers. Now 33 years old, Hargrave remains productive after accruing 52 tackles (18 solo), including 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 16 regular-season contests in 2025. He figures to slot in at nose tackle for Green Bay.
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Harrison Smith: Released by Vikings
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Minnesota announced the release of Smith with a post-June 1 designation Wednesday, Craig Peters of the team's official site reports.
The transaction is largely procedural, as it allows the Vikings to avoid a $25 million base salary guarantee for 2026 in Smith's contract. Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports reports that Smith has not yet made a decision regarding whether to return for a 15th season in the NFL, but if he does decide to play in 2026 a reunion with Minnesota would seem likely. Across 15 regular-season appearances in 2025, Smith logged 54 tackles (37 solo), including 1.0 sacks, 10 defensed passes (including two interceptions), a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.
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Javon Hargrave: Let go by Vikings
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Hargrave is slated to be released by Minnesota on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Hargrave's release doesn't come as a surprise, as the team informed him of the planned transaction in early March, and a trade never seemed likely to materialized. The veteran defensive tackle stands to draw solid interest as a free agent.
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Vikings' Tavierre Thomas: Returning to Minnesota
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Thomas is re-signing with the Vikings on a two-year, $4.6 million contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Thomas played all 17 regular-season games with Minnesota in 2025, operating as a versatile depth option at cornerback and a key special-teams contributor. The eight-year veteran projects to handle a similar role over the next two seasons.
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Vikings' Eric Wilson: Inks long-term deal with Minnesota
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Wilson and the Vikings agreed on a three-year, $22.5 million contract with $12.5 million fully guaranteed Sunday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Wilson made his return to Minnesota in 2025 after leaving the team following the 2020 campaign. The linebacker stepped up his production with the Vikings, recording 115 total tackles (60 solo), which was his highest total since 2020, while also notching a career-high 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. As a result of the monster year, he now has been rewarded handsomely with a lucrative three-year deal.
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Vikings' Jonathan Allen: Slated to be released
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The Vikings are expected to release Allen in the coming days, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Allen inked a three-year, $51 million deal with the Vikings last offseason, but Minnesota is way over the salary cap and needs to make cost-cutting moves. In releasing Allen, Minnesota would clear $6.5 million in cap space but also retain more than $17.3 million in dead money. In his lone season with the Vikings, Allen started all 17 regular-season contests, recording a career-high 68 tackles (29 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery on 76 percent of the defensive snaps.
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Vikings' Jalen Redmond: Tendered by Minnesota
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The Vikings placed an exclusive rights free-agent tender on Redmond on Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Redmond will be back with Minnesota for the 2026 campaign after having a breakout second season with the Vikings. He started 15 of 17 regular-season contests in 2025 and recorded 62 tackles (33 solo), including 6.0 sacks, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble on 74 percent of the defensive snaps.
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Vikings' Jonathan Greenard: Could be traded
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The Vikings are open to trading Greenard (shoulder), Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Greenard could be a cap casualty for Minnesota. The 28-year-old racked up 24.5 sacks across the 2023 and 2024 seasons but had a down season in 2025, recording just 38 tackles (19 solo), including 3.0 sacks, across 12 games.
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Vikings' Javon Hargrave: Set to be cut by Minnesota
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The Vikings informed Hargrave that he will be released at the start of the league year March 11 barring a trade, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Hargrave was set to enter the second and final year of his contract in 2026, but his departure will save the Vikings approximately $10.9 million in salary cap space. The 33-year-old finished the 2025 regular season with 52 tackles (18 solo), including 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 16 games. Once the move is official, Hargrave should draw plenty of interest from teams looking to add a veteran defensive lineman in free agency.
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Vikings' Jay Ward: Moves up to bigger role in 2025
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Ward played in all 17 of Minnesota's games last season, making five starts and recording 27 tackles along with a recovered fumble.
Ward logged just 62 defensive snaps over 33 regular-season contests in his first two NFL campaigns, but he was much more involved on defense in 2025 with 249 defensive snaps. The 2023 fourth-round draft pick made his first NFL start in Week 10 and then started each of the Vikings' final three contests after Josh Metellus (shoulder) landed on IR. Ward will be in the final season of his rookie contract in 2026, and if Harrison Smith decides to retire, Ward could be tabbed for a starting role.
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Vikings' Levi Drake Rodriguez: Registers 2.0 sacks in Year 2
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Rodriguez posted 43 tackles (including 2.0 sacks) over 16 games (two starts) during the 2025 campaign.
Rodriguez played in just two games as a rookie, but he was much more involved during his sophomore NFL campaign. The 2024 seventh-round draft pick played over half of Minnesota's defensive snaps in eight contests, including in each of the final three games of the regular season. Rodriguez will be in the third year of his rookie contract in 2026 and figures to again play a significant role for the Vikings' defense.
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Vikings' Theo Jackson: In and out of starting role in 2025
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Jackson played 14 games (eight starts) in 2025, logging 47 tackles (including 2.0 sacks), one defensed pass, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Jackson didn't make any starts over 43 regular-season games across his first three NFL campaigns, but he started in each of Minnesota's first six contests last season. The Tennessee product saw a lessened role thereafter but still worked as a rotational defensive back most weeks and made two additional starts. Jackson tallied the first two sacks of his NFL career and posted a career-high 47 total tackles, though the midseason demotion doesn't bode well for his opportunities moving forward. Still, he's signed for another two years, so Jackson should play at least a rotational role for the Vikings again in 2026.
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Vikings' Javon Hargrave: Notches 3.5 sacks in 10th season
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Hargrave recorded 52 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, along with a forced fumble and a recovered fumble over 16 games (15 starts) during the 2025 season.
Hargrave was limited to just three games with San Francisco in 2024 due to a triceps injury, but he remained healthy throughout the 2025 campaign -- his first with Minnesota. However, he couldn't approach his career-high mark of 11.0 sacks, and 2.0 of the veteran defensive lineman's 3.5 total sacks came in Week 1. Hargrave signed a two-year contract last March, so he's tentatively slated to return to Minnesota for the 2026 campaign.
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Vikings' Ivan Pace: Ends contract as depth linebacker
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Pace ended the 2025 regular season with 62 tackles (34 solo), including 1.0 sacks, over 17 games.
Pace started the season with a high defensive snap share due to the absence of Blake Cashman, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1. As the season continued, Pace saw diminished defensive snaps. The 25-year-old will enter the 2026 offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning the Vikings will have an opportunity to match any offer Pace might receive.
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Vikings' Isaiah Rodgers: Productive first year of contract
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Rodgers had 66 tackles (47 solo), including two forced fumbles, and four passes defensed, including a pick-six, over 17 regular-season games in 2025.
Rodgers started at outside cornerback in every game of the Vikings' 2025 campaign, showing consistency in the first year of his two-year, $15 million contract with the team. The highlight of the 28-year-old's season was making history with the highest Pro Football Focus grade since 2006, which he earned by logging a pick-six and two forced fumbles in the Week 3 victory over the Bengals. Rodgers will likely remain a starting cornerback for the Vikings going into the 2026 season.
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Gabriel Murphy: Visits with Pittsburgh
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Murphy (knee) visited the Steelers on Friday, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
The 25-year-old spent the vast majority of the 2025 season on the Vikings' practice squad after he injured his knee in Week 2 against Atlanta. Minnesota cut Murphy earlier this week. He's appeared in three career regular-season games.
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Vikings' Jalen Redmond: Shines in second campaign
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Redmond tallied 62 tackles (33 solo), including 6.0 sacks, five defensed passes, a forced fumble and two recovered fumbles over 17 games during the 2025-26 regular season.
After starting just two of the 13 regular-season games in which he appeared as a rookie, Redmond made 15 starts in 17 contests this season. The undrafted Oklahoma product earned the role with a strong campaign that included 6.0 sacks -- fourth-most on the Vikings. Redmond is slated to be an exclusive rights free agent, and he'll almost certainly be back with Minnesota next season, perhaps with a much-deserved multiyear contract in tow.
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Vikings' Harrison Smith: Notches two pickoffs in 2025-26
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Smith finished the regular season with 54 tackles (37 solo), including 1.0 sacks, 10 defensed passes (including two interceptions), a forced fumble and a recovered fumble over 15 games.
Smith missed Minnesota's first two games due to an illness but proceeded to suit up for each of the team's final 15 contests. While he finished with the lowest tackle total of his 14-year career, Smith did tie for the Vikings lead with 10 defensed passes, marking the seventh time he's reached double digits in that category in a regular season. Smith has hinted that he's leaning toward retirement -- if that's the case, he'll conclude his career with six Pro Bowl berths and two All-Pro selections.
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Vikings' Dallas Turner: Concludes campaign on high note
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Turner recorded six tackles (four solo), including 2.0 sacks, and forced a fumble in Sunday's 16-3 win over Green Bay. For the season, he posted 66 stops, including 8.0 sacks, three defensed passes and four forced fumbles across 17 games.
Turner registered a strip sack of Packers QB Clayton Tune on Green Bay's second offensive series, though the Packers were able to recover the fumble. He got to Tune again for a seven-yard loss in the third quarter. That pair of sacks pushed Turner to 8.0 on the season, catapulting him into the Minnesota lead for the campaign. Turner started 10 of the Vikings' 17 contests in his second NFL season and seems to be growing into one of the team's top defenders as he approaches the third year of his rookie contract.
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Vikings' Byron Murphy: Takes step back in 2025-26
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Murphy concluded the regular season with 71 tackles (48 solo), seven defensed passes (including two interceptions) and one fumble recovery over 17 games.
Murphy started all 17 of Minnesota's contests for the second straight season, but he couldn't replicate his 2024-25 Pro Bowl campaign. Murphy finished with 10 fewer stops and seven fewer pass defenses, and while he tied for the Vikings' lead with two pickoffs, that number was well below the six he recorded the previous season. Murphy was still a central part of the team's defense and should continue to fill that role next season in what will be the second year of the three-year extension he signed last March.
