Former Vikings First-Rounder Traded to NFC North Rival
A familiar face will now line up on the other side of the rivalry. Former Vikings first-round pick Garrett Bradbury has been traded to the Chicago Bears, giving Minnesota another reason to circle its divisional matchups.
The center position in Chicago took a major hit this week when last year’s pricey free agent Drew Dalman called it a career. GM Ryan Poles didn’t waste much time, however, and traded for 2019 Vikings pick Garrett Bradbury.
Here’s what The Athletic had to say about the transaction: “Three days after news surfaced that Chicago Bears Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman was retiring, the team found its replacement, working a trade with the New England Patriots to acquire veteran Garrett Bradbury for a fifth-round pick in 2027, league sources told The Athletic.”
A 5th-rounder in 2027 is going the other way, in addition to some salary cap relief. The Patriots think they can use the money and the pick to close the hole and the Bears think Bradbury is their best bet. Seeing a longtime Viking protect the quarterback in Chicago will feel strange for fans who watched him anchor Minnesota’s offensive line for six seasons.
Chicago invested heavily in the offensive line last offseason to better protect Caleb Williams than they had previously. That certainly paid off as the franchise won the division for the first time this decade and even clinched a postseason victory over the Green Bay Packers with improved play in the trenches.
Conversely, it didn’t pay off for the Vikings, who attempted pretty much the same thing by signing center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries to lucrative deals last offseason. In the process of handing the center position from Bradbury to Kelly, the Vikings released their starting center of the previous six seasons and he joined the Patriots.
More from The Athletic: “Bradbury, 30, is coming off a solid first season with the Patriots and immediately registers as the likely starter in front of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Bradbury has drawn praise over the years for his intelligence and his abilities as a run blocker and, like Dalman did for Williams in 2025, should be able to provide significant help at the line of scrimmage, taking a mental load off his quarterback with pre-snap responsibilities.”
As an experienced veteran, Bradbury has a good understanding of the game and the protection calls in Ben Johnson’s system won’t be too much to handle for him. He has always been a wonderful run blocker, which didn’t change in New England.
More problematic over the years has been his ability in the passing game as an undersized lineman. It’s a major reason why the Vikings likely won’t consider his selection as a victory, though he was solid and arguably underrated for six years.
Vikings fans used to see Bears defender Akeem Hicks give him fits; Vikings fans may now get to watch that size mismatch work in their favor.
Bradbury commented on his exit from the Vikings last April.
“I had six great years in Minnesota. It’s a great locker room,” Bradbury highlighted. “Built some really great connections there and it ended. That’s the business. You never want to feel comfortable, but that’s a wake-up call. That’s, ‘All right, here we go, that’s how they feel and they move on.’ There’s no ill will. I’m not bitter towards the Vikings. It’s just a new opportunity for me.”
After his release, he signed with the Patriots and started every game for them, including the Super Bowl.
Interestingly, the Vikings are also in the center market after Ryan Kelly’s retirement. They didn’t acquire Bradbury, but there’s a decent chance they’ll hire someone, either in the Draft or in free agency.
For Vikings fans, it’s another reminder of how quickly the NFL moves on — and how former staples can suddenly become division rivals. In the upcoming season, Bradbury will return to U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since his departure last March.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.