Vikings Reportedly Make the No-Brainer Decision
The Minnesota Vikings took their time, but they eventually made the obvious move necessary to keep defensive tackle Jalen Redmond in the building. Rob Brzezinski and the front office are placing an exclusive-rights tender on the defensive lineman.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the scoop on social media, posting on Wednesday, “The Vikings are placing the exclusive rights tender on DL Jalen Redmond, per source. He’s an extension candidate coming off his six-sack season.”
The move was widely expected. With only two years on his career résumé, Redmond entered the offseason as an exclusive-rights free agent. Simply put, the franchise can just slap the tender on him and he can’t negotiate with other teams. He’ll wear the purple uniform in 2026 and he’ll be one of the cheapest players on the roster.
The Vikings could also negotiate a long-term contract with their 2025 breakout defender, and he certainly earned it. However, that type of extension discussion could come later in the offseason.
Redmond was a key piece in the middle of Brian Flores’ defensive line as a true disruptor in his second season with the Vikings.
Initially coming into the league as an undrafted rookie with the Carolina Panthers in 2023, he failed to qualify for their 53-man roster and took the long road over the UFL. That’s where the Vikings spotted his talent and brought him in for their training camp in 2024.
It was not the first time his football career was delayed. In college at Oklahoma, blood clots cost him some time and later, he opted out during COVID for the same reason.
Despite excellent play in the preseason in 2024, he was initially stashed on the practice squad. A few weeks into the season, the Vikings promoted him to the 53-man roster and he slowly carved out a role on the defensive line.
Last training camp, Redmond showed enough promise that the Vikings felt comfortable moving on from Harrison Phillips. The veteran was traded to the Jets, opening the door for Redmond to play a massive role.
That he did, appearing in all 17 games, with 15 starts, logging 6 sacks and 62 tackles in the excellent defense. Redmond quickly grew beyond a rotational role; he emerged as the top player on Minnesota’s interior, stealing snaps from Javon Hargrave.
His teammates knew that he could do more than just be a rotational guy. Jonathan Greenard pounded the table for him in training camp, “Oh, J-Red is a dawg. J-Red [has been] a dawg since last year in camp. I knew he was a dawg when he got thrown out of practice last year in camp.”
Greenard continued, “From that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in, and was just completely dominating guys. And at that point, even to see it during the season and see him just continuously build … everyone knew he had another gear, but when you bring two guys like [Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen], you think he gets put on the wayside or anything like that, or he gets behind. No, that brother is right there making the same plays he was last year, if not more.”
The 26-year-old will be a building block going forward on a defense that could undergo some changes this offseason. Hargrave and Greenard have surfaced in trade chatter, while Harrison Smith could retire after his long career. Linebacker Eric Wilson is an unrestricted free agent.
PFF analyst Zach Tantillo recently wrote about the two-year Viking, “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.”
Redmond was disruptive in both areas, against the run and the pass.
The exclusive-rights tender was the most straightforward move Minnesota could make this offseason. Now the focus shifts to the players around him.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.