Vikings Breakout Defender Gets Some National Love
Jalen Redmond’s breakout season is starting to get noticed beyond Minnesota. After emerging as a key piece of Brian Flores’ defense in 2025, the ascending interior defender is now receiving national recognition as one of the Vikings’ most important in-house priorities this offseason.
Last year, the Vikings were active in free agency with real cap space to spend. This year, the club is expected to be quieter with a salary cap deficit. It’s quite likely that the biggest deals will be handed out internally.
The free-agent class is headlined by wideout Jalen Nailor, but the true breakout story came on the defensive side of the ball. Once an afterthought, Redmond was a dominant force in his second year in the Twin Cities.
His contract is set to expire next month, but as an exclusive rights free agent, the Vikings fully control the situation. The Vikings just need to push the proverbial button and hand him a cheap deal to secure his rights for another year.
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports called him the one in-house free agent the Vikings should make sure to keep.
He wrote, “Jalen Redmond is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning all the Vikings have to do is offer him a one-year contract at the league minimum in order to prevent him from negotiating with other teams. It’s a no-brainer, and he should get more than that. Redmond, formerly a UFL player, had six sacks and 62 tackles in 2025 after one sack and 18 tackles in 2024. At 26, he’s an ascending talent and a great find from Minnesota.”
Last offseason, many hoped Redmond could make another step, but cold water was poured onto that theory in March when the Vikings added free agents Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen to a room that already included Harrison Phillips.
In August, the front office surprisingly shipped veteran Phillips to the New York Jets, opening the door for Redmond to play a significant role on Brian Flores’ defensive line. Earlier in the season, Redmond was the clear third guy in line, but he played more and more as the season went on.
Redmond appeared in all 17 games, logging 15 starts. In his breakthrough campaign, the defender out of Oklahoma recorded six sacks, 62 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five passes defended and a forced fumble.
He became a constant disruptor, capable of blowing up plays at any moment. Several announcers reported that opposing coaches and players often mentioned Redmond as a threat they have to take seriously in their production meetings.
Recently, PFF’s Zach Tantillo called him Minnesota’s secret superstar, commenting, “Redmond emerged as one of the Vikings’ most reliable interior defenders in 2025. He earned a 73.5 PFF overall grade, ranking third among Minnesota defenders. He was especially dominant against the run, where his 30 run stops, 1.46-yard average depth of tackle, and 19.4% positively graded play rate all ranked second-best on the defense.”
The Vikings can just use the mechanics of the exclusive rights free agency to keep Redmond in the building, or they can sign him to a long-term deal. At this point, the Vikings have all the leverage and if they view him as a building block moving forward (and they should), then why not secure his rights for years to come?
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling wrote about the defender last week, “Redmond is an exclusive rights free agent after posting six sacks last season. Bringing him back on a $1.075 million tender will be one of the easiest decisions the Vikings have this offseason; they could look to sign him to a multiyear deal while the 26-year-old still has modest leverage.”
Paying a player coming off a 35-pressure season with 62 tackles and six sacks as an interior defender a bargain $1.075 million deal would be a huge win for the Vikings. He’s only 26 years old and trending upward. For a team tight on cap space, keeping an ascending interior disruptor at a bargain price isn’t just logical — it’s one of the easiest wins the front office can secure this offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.