Oh, It Was a Good Day for Ivan Pace Jr.
Minnesota Vikings’ organized team activities are about a week away, but before that, NFL teams are taking care of some contractual housekeeping.
The San Francisco 49ers extended Fred Warner’s contract on Monday, and that’s good roundabout news for Ivan Pace Jr.
For example, most expect the Vikings to soon extend the contracts of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and safety Josh Metellus.
But on Monday, the San Francisco 49ers agreed to a seismic extension with off-ball linebacker Fred Warner, which is fantastic news for Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
A Done Deal for ILB Fred Warner
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Monday, “ESPN Sources: Four-time All-Pro LB Fred Warner and the 49ers reached agreement on a three-year, $63 million contract extension that includes over $56 million in guaranteed money that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid linebacker. It marks the second time in his seven-year NFL career that Warner has landed a contract that makes him the league’s highest-paid linebacker.”
“The 49ers have dealt with lingering contract drama in recent offseasons — from Nick Bosa to Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk. But with deals now done for Fred Warner, Brock Purdy and George Kittle, they now could be headed for a near drama-free training camp.”
It’s a done deal for the 49ers’ extension dealings.
The Implication for Ivan Pace Jr.
Why would Pace Jr. care about this development? Simple — it raises the ceiling on his eventual extension.
Warner, now the league’s highest-paid inside linebacker, earns $21 million per season — that was high-end quarterback money 10 years ago — and Pace Jr. can use that upper limit as a barometer for his next deal.
Damn good linebackers like Foyesade Oluokun, Zaire Franklin, and Bobby Okereke earn close to $10 million per season. Pace Jr. can expect to cash in close to those three and probably more because the market constantly escalates.
He’s likely staring down the barrel of a four-year, $55 million contract or something similar.
Pace Jr. Extension Timetable
Of course, Pace Jr.’s contract timetable is a bit awkward.
The Vikings control his rights in 2026, as he’ll hit restricted free agency because of his undrafted status a couple of years ago. Minnesota could, in theory, play hardball with Pace Jr. and delay his extension until the last minute.
But this brand of Vikings leadership doesn’t really do that. For example, the club preemptively extended outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s contract a few weeks ago, and it didn’t have to do that until next offseason.
Minnesota is also short on long-term cash, fortifying the roster with 2024 and 2025 free agency. It doesn’t have tons of dough lying around like it did at this time last year.
On the whole, it’s probably reasonable to expect Pace Jr.’s extension early next offseason.
Performance to Date
Pace Jr. has appeared in 28 games since the start of 2023, logging 174 total tackles, 16 quarterback hits, 9 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. He banked a 77.1 Pro Football Focus grade in 2023, his rookie campaign, and 63.0 last year while battling some injuries.
He’s a staple in the middle of Brian Flores’ defense, and one would surmise the Vikings would like to keep it that way.
Kyle Joudry on Pace Jr.’s Extension Situation
At our partner website PurplePTSD.com, Kyle Joudry recently weighed in on Pace Jr.’s impending contract talks.
He wrote, “Ivan Pace Jr. has been a tremendous success. The UDFA addition would get drafted in a redo of the 2023 NFL Draft — 2nd Round? 3rd Round? — a surefire sign that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did wonderfully when onboarding the aggressive linebacker.”
“Minnesota is moving into the final year of Pace’s contract. He’ll be an RFA in 2026, giving Adofo-Mensah a decent bit of leverage when arriving at the negotiation table. The problem is merely that Minnesota is moving into a difficult financial future, one where cap space is already in short supply. Can the team afford to keep Ivan Pace?”
For curious minds, the Vikings have an unbelievably grim salary cap situation on tap for the 2026 offseason, at least compared to 2025. They’re over $50 million in the hole.
Joudry added, “At the end of the day, the franchise is working with a champagne problem. If only every UDFA pickup was so successful that there was then a tricky contract situation coming up. Safe to say that Adofo-Mensah would welcome that kind of dilemma with each one of his signings after the draft.”
“Ivan Pace Jr. deserves a strong raise. Fans, for the most part, will be hoping that raise comes from the Vikings. The dilemma is that money isn’t abundant, making an ongoing relationship between team and player far from a foregone conclusion.”
Pace will turn 25 in December.
Vikings Declared Football Geniuses
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