Jonathan Greenard sends a cryptic message that has many thinking his future with the Vikings is already written for better or worse
The drama with the Minnesota Vikings never ends.
The week before free agency began, reports broke that the Minnesota Vikings were open to trading edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. It was quite a surprise that they were open to doing so, especially since he’s the best player on the defense.
Over the last three weeks, there have been multiple discussions about what his value might be in a trade, and those certainly don’t represent what he means to the Vikings. He is the engine for defensive coordinator Brian Flores’s unit, and the counting metrics don’t reflect what he brings to the table.
Jonathan Greenard’s cryptic tweet signals a decision on his future is coming
After a lot of discussion over the first two weeks, the last few days have been really quiet regarding Greenard. It is certainly trending toward him staying in Minnesota, or maybe not moving until the NFL Draft or post-June 1st. However, his latest tweet sends a signal that a resolution could be coming sooner rather than later.
What exactly does this mean? There is certainly a world where Greenard is just tweeting, but usually, a cryptic tweet like this has some meaning.
Does this mean that he and the Vikings have reached a resolution on a modified contract under which he will make more money, which is well-deserved? It’s certainly in the plausible range of outcomes. Greenard is currently outside the top 20 edge rushers in average annual value at $19 million. Giving him a two-year extension for $68 million would bring his AAV up to $26.5 million over four years, tying him for 11th with Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos. That would certainly be in line with his value overall as a player.
The other end of the spectrum would be Greenard finally coming to terms on an extension with one of the teams that has been trying to trade for him. There have been multiple teams linked to a potential Greenard trade, and it could mean an announcement is imminent.
No matter what it might be, Vikings fans will be on the edge of their seat waiting for the resolution to come.