The last few weeks have been interesting for the Minnesota Vikings. They weren’t the most active in free agency, but they did add quarterback Kyler Murray, who will likely be the starter at quarterback for the Vikings.

The biggest story throughout all of free agency was the future of Jonathan Greenard. He is entering year three of a four-year, $76 million contract with $19 million in cash to be paid this year and a salary cap hit of $22.15 million. Even with that much money coming to him, Greenard requested a raise, which prompted trade discussions with other teams.

Trading Jonathan Greenard creates a deeper problem

There’s a real chance that Greenard returns to the team for the 2026 season, but it’s yet to be confirmed. They should just give him a raise, but they weren’t willing to meet the requests that Greenard and his camp had, which prompted the trade discussions.

While the vibes certainly signal that Greenard will return, it’s not a certainty. Trading him is still an option if two things happen:

• The Vikings get a proper return in a trade.
• The new team agrees with Greenard on a contract extension.

Let’s say those two things happen and Greenard does get traded. The one under discussed angle with the entire discussion is that it creates a big hole in the edge rusher room.

Greenard is the best player on the Vikings’ defense and the engine behind their success. His quick penetrating style impacts the quarterback and the running game. It’s not just about his stats, but his impact on the defense as a whole.

Really good piece from Alec on Jonathan Greenard. He quantified the production of Greenard, which I've discussed many times, in an easier-to-digest form https://t.co/Piy8kTAsCz pic.twitter.com/rmbSSoGlDH

— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) March 26, 2026

Not only are the Vikings going to have to change their defensive structure to compensate for the loss of Greenard, they will also have to look at the other edge rusher in Andrew Van Ginkel. He is entering the final year of his contract and will be 31 years old this season. If they do choose to extend him, it will continue extending out his projected $8 million cap hit. However, it would place the burden on the Vikings to need two edge rushers.

Trading away one of your best players just to create a gaping hole on a team that wants to contend isn’t exactly a good business model. Meanwhile, having to essentially replace both of them in the same offseason would be brutal.

Van Ginkel, being the other edge rusher, makes things very complicated if Greenard gets traded, and it’s not exactly a great business decision.