Jonathan Greenard Name Drops 2 Vikings Who Have Stepped Up
Kay Adams brought Jonathan Greenard onto her show a few days ago, doing a nice job of getting Minnesota’s star defender to venture into several topics swirling around the Vikings.
One particularly fascinating part of Greenard’s interview rested in his praise for Vikings who have been stepping up. Unsurprisingly, Carson Wentz earned a shout out for (mostly) succeeding within the starting quarterback job, helping the Vikings get to 3-2 after the opening five games. But then there’s another player who earns praise: backup linebacker Eric Wilson.
Jonathan Greenard Tosses Praise to Pair of Vikings
Before going too far, consider what the Vikings’ top pass rusher had to say.
In the aftermath of the injuries, the Vikings have seen players get promoted. Who has most caught Greenard’s eye? Eric Wilson is the first name to come out of the defender’s mouth. He clarifies what Minnesota is getting out of the veteran linebacker: “E-Will making some game-changing plays, obviously going back to Cincinnati, Atlanta, you name it. Those games he was just big and kind of had some game-changing plays for us.”
One wonders if the strong performance from Wilson is going to lead to him sticking around in the starting lineup even after Blake Cashman returns.
The veteran has been collecting the play call from Brian Flores since Cashman went down. The suggestion is that Minnesota’s DC sees higher level communication abilities in Wilson over Ivan Pace, someone who has seen his young career align perfectly with Flores’s time in Minnesota (2023-2025). Would an off-ball ‘backer twosome consisting of Cashman and Wilson give the DC maximum leeway to get creative and chaotic? If so, then Jonathan Greenard may see the veteran Wilson stick around among the starters.
Wilson hasn’t been flawless since becoming a starter — he’s sitting on 7 missed tackles, which is far too high — but he has been noticeable.
The 31-year-old Wilson has been involved against both the run and the pass. The tackle total is sitting at 35; the tackles for loss sit at a pair. More impactful has been his pair of forced fumbles, the sort of game-changing plays that Jonathan Greenard is evoking in his response to Kay Adams.
For the price of just $2.6 million, Mr. Wilson has been a great addition who is outperforming his contract. He’s proving to be one of the savvier signings of the 2025 offseason.
In the 2024 offseason, the Vikings signed Jonathan Greenard to a four-year contract that came in at $76 million. A strong payday but one that looks like a bargain after more than a season of work.
Don’t be surprised if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah constructs an extension for the top edge rusher during the offseason. Doing so would create short-term cap space while beefing up the pass rush for a while longer.
Greenard isn’t the world’s best athlete, but he’s a rugged, full-effort player who offers great leadership. Expect him to improve upon his 1 sack — a modest total he discusses in the same interview — as the season progresses.
Mr. Greenard is 28.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
