Scratch 1 Vikings Option Off the List
The Vikings options at center currently consist of Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens, and Zeke Correll. Some competition is a good thing, but tossing in high-end talent would change the water on the purple beans.
Consider the update around Tyler Biasdasz, which arrived from Ian Rapoport: “The #Chargers make a splash before free agency, agreeing to terms with C Tyler Biadasz on a 3-year deal worth $30M, per The Insiders. Biadasz was cut by the #Commanders after being set to make $8.3M. Now he lands in LA with a raise.”
Consider, as well, folks that Minnesota has seen Ryan Kelly retire. Likewise, Chicago had Drew Dalman retire before making a trade for Garrett Bradbury. So, the NFL is already moving through a game of musical chairs at center.
A Vikings Option Isn’t Available Any Longer
Very wisely, Mr. Kelly opted to prioritize his health.
The rugged large lad was coming off his debut season as a Viking. Shrunk down to just on-field ability, Kelly offered zero reason for concern. He’s a tough, hard working, competitive center who takes mental workload off the passer. The lone issue was health, or lack thereof.
As a basic rundown, consider what the numbers say about the Vikings options at center last year. Check it out:
- Ryan Kelly, 329 Snaps — 1 Sack and 4 QB Pressures
- Blake Brandel, 363 Snaps — 3 Sacks, 6 QB Hits, and 19 Pressures***
- Michael Jurgens, 309 Snaps — 4 Sacks, 2 QB Hits, and 9 Pressures
Clearly, there needs to be some context built around Mr. Brandel. Listed above are his snaps at center. Do note, though, that he played left tackle, left guard, and right tackle for Minnesota’s bruised offensive line. The sacks, hits, and pressures arrive as what he allowed across all of those snaps, a total of 604 in the 2025 season.
Goodness, he even had a pair of snaps as a jumbo tight end.
Consider, too, that there’s an outside chance that Joe Huber, a guard who cracked the 53-man roster as an undrafted talent, could work toward mastering the center transition. Not an ironclad solution, just something to note.
Recent days have involved the Vikings blitzing the budget. Several high-end players have been restructured while others are soon to be shown the door. Furthermore, the Kelly retirement means saving cap space, as well.
To my very basic math brain, the Vikings should have had roughly $30 million in open cap space (that is, until the news of Eric Wilson returning).
Minnesota won’t be able to land Tyler Linderbaum — one of the most in-demand players in the league — but there’s money to spend.
In just a few hours, the Vikings can consider who makes sense to slide into their now vacant center spot. Not liking the prices and/or the options means waiting until the draft to insert more competition into the mix.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
