Undercover Viking Continues His Rise to Stardom
After a 27-point loss last week at the Los Angeles Chargers, the Minnesota Vikings’ week has been beset by turmoil and fan angst, but defensive tackle Jalen Redmond remains a clear bright spot.
There is enough sample to make a verdict on one Vikings defender: the guy is here to stay for the long haul and will be paid handsomely.
The rags-to-riches defender again stood off the page in Los Angeles, showing the masses that he’s no fluke and setting himself up for an impressive contract extension before too long.
Vikings DT Jalen Redmond Is No Joke
Redmond may be Minnesota’s most consistent defender.
Another Monster Game for Redmond
Redmond registered 9 quarterback pressures last Thursday night, an extraordinary amount for any player but especially a defensive tackle. He also banked a 90.3 Pro Football Focus grade, which is virtually unbeatable in a given week.
And this isn’t a first-of-its-kind game for Redmond. On the whole in 2025, the man has a 76.1 PFF mark, ranking him 15th among all NFL defensive tackles.
Redmond hasn’t really produced a bad game this season, and his playing time has increased accordingly. He has carried over his head-turning performance from last season, parlaying the breakout season into a full-time starter’s job on the Vikings’ defensive line.
He’s no longer a wait-and-see commodity. The guy’s for real.
By Now, It’s Evidence of a Pattern
Redmond is just plain good — 1.5 seasons is enough action to make that declaration.
Vikings.com‘s Lindsey Young noted on Redmond this week, “Since joining Minnesota, Redmond survived initial roster cuts in 2024 but was waived that October, spent a stint on the practice squad and is now approaching one full year on the team’s active roster. There’s no “camp body” here. Redmond has become an integral element of the Vikings defense — and he knew early on that status was reachable.”
“This season, Redmond is leading all of Minnesota’s defense with three sacks and is third on the unit with five tackles for loss, behind outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard (9) and Rodriquez (6). Redmond’s 20 tackles thus far are fourth-most among Vikings defensive linemen.”
Because he wasn’t drafted, Redmond still carries no-name flair. For example, Green Bay Packers fans and Detroit Lions fans may have no idea who he is.
Young added, “Analytics site Pro Football Focus has graded Redmond positively throughout the season, giving him an overall defense grade of 76.1 through Week 8. He received grades of 66.6 in run defense, 79.6 in pass rush and 68.3 in tackling. And though Minnesota’s defense has experienced some struggles this season, Redmond continues to impress.”
An Incoming Contract Extension?
Now, the fun part — money.
If Redmond continues his remarkable pace — he has not slowed down one bit in a year and a half — the man will be paid accordingly. In the event the Vikings doled out the contract tomorrow, Redmond would likely fetch a $54 million contract over the next three seasons or something in that vicinity.
He’s not quite an All-Pro, but he’ll deserve a contract in the upper tier of DT pay.
Redmond … the Job Stealer?
It’s also worth noting that Redmond has begun siphoning off snaps from Javon Hargrave, who signed with Minnesota in March as one of its key free-agent additions.
Hargrave has struggled against the run, and Redmond has not, so defensive coordinator Brian Flores has decided to start Redmond and roll with him more frequently than Hargrave in the last few games. Truth be told, nobody is mad about it; Redmond is that productive.
PPTSD on Redmond
Our Janik Eckardt weighed in this week on Redmond’s performance in 2025: “Redmond, however, is making those two ex-Pro Bowlers look like afterthoughts, as he’s continuously able to find a way into the backfield to disrupt opposing plays. In the horrendous game against the Chargers, Redmond tabulated nine QB pressures, eight of which even earned the label QB hurries.”
“How good is that? Well, Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner logged four QB pressures and two QB hurries each, and that’s not a bad number. The Chargers, who pressured Carson Wentz all night, had nobody with more than six QB pressures. Unfortunately, the coverage unit didn’t do its job to help Redmond get home. But Redmond is not just a one-game wonder; he actually ranks second among the Vikings’ defenders over the season with 21 pressures and 17 hurries.”
Redmond is still just 26 years old.
Eckardt continued, “In fact, both are top-ten numbers among all interior defenders. His pass-rush productivity even ranks him as the league’s best interior lineman with at least 100 pass-rush snaps. From a counting stat perspective, Redmond has made 20 tackles, three sacks, and five tackles for loss in the seven games this season. His snap count keeps rising, and he played a season-high 86% of the snaps on Thursday.”
“It’s been flying under the radar a little, but he has snatched the job from Hargrave, who’s now just a third-down specialist and rotational player while Redmond is getting pretty much all the snaps he can handle.”
Remember Redmond’s name because he ain’t going anywhere.
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