Vikings Finally Wave White Flag on Ill-Advised Strategy

Sure, the former regime sunk a 1st into Bradbury — a considerable expense for a center — but the new GM brought him back for a modest three-year contract coming in at $15.75 million, less than Kelly received across just two seasons. Cleveland was operating on a rookie contract and so was Ingram. Both were 2nd-Round lineman — all things considered, high for a guard — but their play was either pretty good (Cleveland) or bad (Ingram).

Finally, there was Risner, someone who offers pretty strong pass pro and great energy. He signed consecutive single-season deals with the Vikings, neither of which climbed above $3 million. Risner went out the door and Adofo-Mensah pivoted toward a replacement who’s close to $88 million. See the difference?

J.J. McCarthy is taking over as the QB1 and the plan is to give him every chance to succeed. That means the Vikings finally have waved the white flag on the old way of building an offensive line, an approach that invested heavily at tackle but scrimped and saved at guard and center. No longer.

We’ll see if the investment pays off once September — and, more importantly, January — arrive.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.