PFF Has a Projection for Garrett Bradbury’s Next Contract
One of the underrated storylines of the Minnesota Vikings 2023 offseason is Garrett Bradbury’s free agency. Everyone is well-aware that the Vikings 2019 first-round pick did not exactly live up to his draft position early on in his NFL career. Because of that, last offseason, Minnesota opted not to give him the fifth-year option that is available for first-round picks.
However, Bradbury went into the 2022 season needing a “prove it” type of year, and he absolutely answered the call. Bradbury, per Pro Football Focus, allowed just two sacks and was penalized four times this season. The site also gave him the best overall grade of his career due to his play. After spending three seasons hovering in the high 50s to low 60s, PFF gave Bradbury a 70.2 overall grade for the 2022 season.
And now, the site also has a projection for Bradbury’s next contract as he hits free agency. PFF has estimated that the center will receive a three-year deal for a total of $18.75 million with $10 million guaranteed.
This projection comes as part of Brad Spielberger’s “2023 Free Agency Rankings” piece where the analyst ranked his top 100 free agents coming into the offseason. Bradbury ranked No. 90 on the list. Here is what Spielberger had to say about him in the piece:
“The former first-rounder earned career-high grades as a pass-blocker and run-blocker in 2022, with his 68.1 pass-block grade representing an improvement of nearly 15 grading points. His 72.4 run-blocking grade is his third straight mark of 67.0 or better.”
“Bradbury was drafted early because he has the athleticism to get to the second level in an outside-zone-heavy rushing attack, but he simply lacks the strength to anchor as a pass protector, especially with the league’s interior pass-rushers getting better and better. Nevertheless, it was good to see major growth in pass protection in 2022, but the odds are it will never be a strength of his game.”
Granted, as Spielberger alludes to in his write-up, Bradbury probably won’t ever be considered one of the best centers in the NFL because of his struggles in pass protection. However, the growth that he showed during 2022 in that department is apparent.
Because of that, if the Vikings are able to get Bradbury on a contract that comes out to around $6 million per year, I think they should jump at the opportunity. Between the needs on defense as well as running back and wide receiver, Minnesota needs to find depth at too many positions to overthink this one.
At the end of the day, Bradbury’s future with the Vikings may boil down to one variable: health. His back injury that kept him out of the final five games of the regular season seemed to continue as a hindrance during the Vikings Wild Card loss to the New York Giants.
Back problems are already concerning injuries in the NFL, but especially on the offensive line where players are tasked with bearing the force of 300+ pound defenders, even a little tweak can become a serious problem.
If Minnesota isn’t convinced that Bradbury can remain healthy, then that changes things in terms of whether or not they bring him back. However, if he seems like he can get back to his early 2022 form, the Vikings should jump at the opportunity to bring him back for basically $6 million per year.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.