The Jalen Redmond Payday
Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond has moved beyond just being a nice story. At this stage, he’s a weekly monster in the middle, somebody whom the offensive line needs to plan for lest they get beat.
So, he’s soon to arrive at a good payday.
Right now, Mr. Redmond is demanding just $1,075,000, per Over the Cap. None of that compensation arrives as guaranteed cash. Before too long, GM Nolan Teasley will need to rectify the issue of the DT being criminally underpaid even if the problem gets kicked into 2027.
The Jalen Redmond Payday
What’s hindering Redmond is his story.
The promising college player went undrafted, failing to break through on the final roster for the Carolina Panthers. His journey therefore involved playing in a rival football league. Shining in the UFL led to a chance to play for the Vikings. The wildest part of that progression is that Redmond’s ascent wasn’t linear. Indeed, his debut season in Minnesota involved getting dropped down to the practice squad, creating a scenario where any team in the NFL could have stolen him away for free.
The Vikings, in short, got lucky. Even the team itself didn’t realize how good the defensive tackle was becoming. If they did, then there would have been zero willingness to drop him down to the practice squad.
Consider just the basic stats for Jalen Redmond across these pair of seasons:
- 2024: 13 Games (2 Starts), 18 Tackles, 6 Tackles for Loss, 1 Sack, 2 Passes Defended.
- 2025: 17 Games (15 Starts), 62 Tackles, 12 Tackles for Loss, 6 Sacks, 5 Passes Defended, 1 Forced Fumble.
Last year, Redmond offered up a broader array of impressive pass rushing statistics. The defensive tackle pressured the quarterback a total of 35 times, hurrying the passer 26 times, per PFF. Teams pay for pass rushers, meaning Redmond will soon be among those who sees his bank account grow.
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Right now, the high-end of the DT market is established by players such as Chris Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Milton Williams, and others. Only five DTs see their contracts at $25 million or more per season. Redmond, as impressive as he is, is quite unlikely to make that group six.
Expanding the discussion to the $20-to-$25 million range involves bringing in talents such as Jeffery Simmons, DeForest Buckner, Kenny Clark, and several others. These guys are accomplished, excellent veterans who are still ahead of where Redmond finds himself. Can he get into that range in the coming season? Possible.
At this stage, Jalen Redmond doesn’t have a ton of leverage since he’s only moving into his third season. Soon enough, that leverage lack is going to change even if he’ll be an RFA next offseason.
Shining in 2026 could realistically involve a contract that ventures into the $15-to-$20 million range, at least on a per year basis. Of course, he’ll need to continue his upward trajectory, proving to still be the DT1 after the additions of Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Jalen Redmond is 27, meaning he has several years of good football ahead of him.
