Longtime Vikings Starter Officially Benched
The fringe theories were correct: the Minnesota Vikings benched linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. on Sunday during a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
A subplot to a mediocre Vikings season, one player was formally benched in Week 7, casting his future in Minnesota into doubt for the long haul.
Pace Jr., a starter since the beginning of the 2023 season, was not involved in Brian Flores’ defensive plan last weekend.
Vikings Bench Ivan Pace Jr.
Who saw that one coming a month or so ago?
Ivan Pace Jr. Logs Zero Snaps on Defense
Pace Jr. was nowhere to be found on defense in Week 7.
Star Tribune‘s Andrew Krammer wrote Sunday, “Linebacker Blake Cashman’s return to the starting lineup during the Vikings’ 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday came with another change. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was benched in favor of veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, who had replaced Cashman for the previous four games.”
“Pace had started all five games entering Sunday, when coaches instead opted for a trio of Cashman, Wilson and safety Josh Metellus at inside linebacker.”
Regarding the “other” linebacker next to Cashman, who returned from a four-week hamstring injury absence, Minnesota picked Wilson over Pace Jr.
The Eric Wilson Show
For his troubles, Wilson continued his impressive season, logging 6 tackles in Week 7, with 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss and a QB hit, along with a decent 62.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Minnesota did not bench Pace Jr. and immediately regret it. Wilson did the trick on defense at his starter’s spot, even if the game resulted in a loss for the purple team. The veteran defender began the season hot against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, and while Wilson has cooled off a bit compared to that fantastic showing, he’s still showing the prowess of a starter.
Brian Flores trusts Wilson more than Pace Jr., and the timetable for Wilson’s starting arrangement is simply indefinite. The guy really can’t be benched in good faith after a 1.5-sack box score from an off-ball linebacker.
Now What for Pace Jr.?
The more concerning aspect for Pace Jr. is the future.
He’s scheduled to test restricted free agency in five months, and as recently as a couple of months ago, it felt like a lock that Minnesota would extend him for the long term. Now, that forecast is totally in doubt.
Pace Jr.’s missed tackle rate has spiked to 15.8% — a major red flag for a linebacker expected to anchor the middle. That figure sat at just 6.4% as a rookie and rose to 10.0% in 2024, signaling steady regression. At nearly 16%, it became an unsustainable liability for Minnesota’s defense moving forward.
Pace Jr.’s story is far from written, but Week 7 was brutal blow for the short term.
A Long-Term Roster Need Opens Up
Looking beyond 2025, Vikings fans thought they had the inside linebacker position all nailed down. Cashman and Pace Jr. — what more could one want for consistency, and in Pace Jr.’s case, youth?
Benching Pace Jr. changes the dynamic of the ILB spot for Minnesota beyond this season. Onlookers can no longer glance at a depth chart and call the linebackers adequate for prolonged proficiency.
What does this mean? Well, when free agency rolls around in March, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might have to explore a veteran off-ball linebacker to replace Pace Jr. if the bench assignment persists, re-sign Wilson, or draft a linebacker in April.
Thankfully, like safeties, off-ball linebacker aren’t terribly hard to find. They don’t fly off the draftboard like EDGE rushers or cornerbacks.
Still, Pace Jr. in the doghouse is a plot twist for the 2025 Vikings. He was suppose to be a solid starter, with perhaps a Pro Bowl ceiling. That’s all changed.
PurplePTSD on Pace Jr.
Our Kyle Joudry weighed in on the Pace Jr. fallout: “Yet again, Ivan Pace has been forced to take a backseat. The issue at this stage is that he’s doing so due to the presence of Cashman and Eric Wilson.”
“By elevating Wilson, Flores gets to lean into maximum creativity and chaos. Flores’s reputation is to be aggressive; he has done much to earn that description. So much of what he’s trying to accomplish, though, rests in making the offense uncomfortable. Sometimes, achieving that goal means sending the house. At other times, it’s having personnel on the field that can do pretty much anything.”
It’s also worth noting that Pace Jr. is usually pretty opinionated. We shall see if he bemoans his new role.
Joudry added, “Wilson, someone capable of offering sturdy pass coverage and disruptive blitzes, allows Flores to get more unpredictable with the calls. Moving forward, Pace needs to focus on rounding out his game. Eliminate the missed tackles and don’t get scorched in coverage.”
“It’s okay if he’ll never mirror prime Eric Kendricks (absolute stud) running with Davante Adams in coverage, but Pace can’t be a huge liability. He’s still only 24, so there’s room to develop and grow. Ivan Pace faces a fairly grim future in Minnesota, largely due to how poor the upcoming salary cap situation is.”
Minnesota also has rookies linebackers, Kobe King and Austin Keys, on its active roster.
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