Vikings Sign a Lineman to a Slobberknocker of a Contract
Time to be bold.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made a huge signing for the interior of his offensive line, agreeing to terms with RG Will Fries. Consider the word from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “Guard Will Fries is headed to the #Vikings for five years and $88 million, sources told ESPN. One of the top interior linemen on the market is now off the board.”
Vikings Sign Will Fries to Monster Deal
One has to think that the days of Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram are coming to an end.
Last season’s C1 and RG1/2 can be cut for savings of roughly $7 million. Doing so won’t totally finance the major deals that Adofo-Mensah has pulled off, but the money will at least help.
Fries, 26, stands at 6’6″ and weighs 305 pounds. He was drafted at No. 248 back in the 2021 NFL Draft, which is in the 7th Round. In other words, the offensive lineman has far, far exceeded expectations.
Last year, the guard only played five games due to injury, but he did get into action for all seventeen games in 2023. Prior to getting hurt, PFF was giving Fries a sizzling grade of 86.9. That’s elite stuff. The year before when he played every game, he had a solid grade of 61.2. Keep in mind, however, that his pass blocking was the stronger area of the game.
One has to think that these deals tip Minnesota’s hand: J.J. McCarthy is going to be the starter in 2025. Or, at least, that’s the plan.
McCarthy is operating on a modest rookie contract, accounting for less than $5 million for the 2025 budget. The next pair of seasons will be similarly cheap before the Vikings need to make a decision on his 5th-year team option. Even then, though, the finances can get finagled to carve out another year or two of low cap hits.
In 2024, Will Fries played his snaps at right guard, picking up 268 before needing to miss time due to injury. The season before he soaked up 1,125 snaps at right guard.
Handing out huge money for the iOL is a departure from Adofo-Mensah’s history. He hasn’t yet spent major dollars at that spot of the line, but it’s possible that the change in approach stems from having McCarthy on his rookie deal.
From left to right, the projected starters for the Vikings’ o-line will be Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill. Huge improvement, folks.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Vikings Start Tuesday With a Bang
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 (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.