A Vikings Veteran Sees Some Storm Clouds Gathering in the Distance
Last season, Christian Darrisaw was lost for the year to a torn ACL in Week 8. High-priced free-agent additions Will Fries and Ryan Kelly both missed time, as well. Left guard Donovan Jackson is a rookie, meaning he’s unproven. Stalwart right tackle Brian O’Neill will soon hit his 30th birthday.
Step back from these thoughts and think about offensive lineman Blake Brandel. Looks valuable, doesn’t he?
The Vikings veteran entered the NFL back in the 2020 NFL Draft as the No. 203 pick (6th Round). He stands at 6’7″ and weighs 315 pounds. He has proven to be a hardworking player with a strong understanding of the game. After all, Brandel can literally play all five positions on the offensive line, a reality that speaks to these abilities. Does the depth player and great pro get the chance to stick around in Minnesota for 2025?
Vikings Veteran Blake Brandel & The Storm Clouds Overhead
Financially, there’s no issue with Mr. Brandel in 2025.
Currently, the Vikings’ cap space is sitting at a reasonably rotund $23.5 million. The do-it-all backup lineman has a cap charge sitting at $3,916,666, a medium amount that’s not backbreaking by any means. The issue is simply what’s appearing on the horizon.
The current estimate sees Minnesota in debt by a staggering $60.8 million next year. Per Over the Cap, that’s last-place in the NFL — at least at present — for the 2026 season.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s debt pile is so monstrous that he’ll need to pursue multiple strategies to balance the books. Cuts are often the first strategy to come to mind for a lot of fans, but the GM almost certainly leans into extensions, restructures, and maybe even a trade or two to find financial help.
To that end, one wonders about Brandel. He seems to now be a backup after the move for Jackson at No. 24 in the 2025 NFL Draft, something that Kevin O’Connell appears to have confirmed. Is a super-versatile backup still feasible given the financial outlook?
A trade, for instance, would involve the Vikings seeing $3,250,000 put back into the cap space (while accepting a $666,666 dead cap charge). That’s open cap space that could get tossed onto the pile of unused room, money that can then get carried over into 2026 so long as it goes unused. In other words, that’s a bit of budgetary room that could get shuffled forward as one piece of the ’26 cap puzzle.
Moreover, the Vikings would see $3,500,000 shaved off in 2026 if Blake Brandel is moved out. Again, we’re talking about a tough cap situation and a not-too-distant future where Adofo-Mensah is going to need to pull several levers to get the money back into a healthy spot.
Is Blake Brandel — a tremendous backup and average starter — therefore a luxury that Minnesota can’t afford?
Young linemen Walter Rouse and Michael Jurgens appear likely to stick around in the Twin Cities. Each offers their own versatility while also offering some upside as sophomores who are still ascending. Even better, both are cheap since they’re each playing on late-round rookie contracts.
And then one wonders about Logan Brown, the offensive tackle who landed a major UDFA contract (at least in terms of the guarantees) to get brought over to Minnesota. So, too, did guard Joe Huber get some good money to put horns on his helmet.
Add it all together and one wonders if there’s a perfect storm. The front five consists of well-paid players who have demanded huge investments from Minnesota (Darrisaw, Jackson, Kelly, Fries, and O’Neill). There’s then upside adds in recent draftees and UDFA signings (Rouse, Jurgens, Brown, and Huber). Oh, and remember that Justin Skule was added as a free agent to be the swing tackle, so his spot on the roster is close to guaranteed.
Does Blake Brandel therefore find himself in no man’s land?
Last season, Brandel earned a 55.7 grade on PFF, pointing toward a player who wasn’t disastrous but far from dominant. Where his value may get overlooked rests in his ability to literally play all five positions on the o-line. The Vikings veteran therefore looks like a valuable part of Minnesota’s roster, someone who offers huge insurance on Sundays as a five-in-one player.
The issue simply rests in a confluence of factors, a situation where the top of the o-line depth chart contains several pricey players while then having several cheap, upside young fellas behind them. Where does that leave Blake Brandel?
We’ll know by the end of August.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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