Ex-Vikings Defender Is Now a Patriot
The New England Patriots embarked on a total spending bonanza Monday, a flurry that included one former Minnesota Vikings defender.
Ex-Vikings Defender Is Now a Patriot
Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga is the newest Patriot, heading to the AFC East on a one-year deal.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss tweeted, “The Patriots are in agreement with free-agent DT Khyiris Tonga (Cardinals) on a 1-year, $2.7 million deal, per agents David Canter and Ness Mugrabi of Aura Sports Group. Tonga played in 13 games last season (1 start), with 22 tackles. He logged 27% of the defensive snaps.
“The 6-foot-4, 338-pound Tonga has played in 53 career games (7 starts) in time with Chicago (2021), Minnesota (2022-2023) and Arizona (2024).”
It’s a fancy change of scenery for Tonga, who will join a Patriots team trending up with Drake Maye as quarterback and Mike Vrabel as head coach.
These are the Patriots’ interior defensive linemen after the Tonga transaction:
- Milton Williams
- Christian Barmore
- Khyiris Tonga
- Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
- Jaquelin Roy
- Marcus Harris
Milton Williams stole all iDL headlines in the NFL on Monday, signing a mammoth deal worth $26 million per season, news that understandably overshadowed the Tonga addition.
Out of nowhere for the Vikings in 2022, Tonga was absolutely tremendous, tabulating a 77.9 Pro Football Focus grade, the 13th-best mark in the NFL among interior defensive linemen. The score was also the eighth-best on the Vikings roster.
The BYU alumnus played 11 games in 2022 while starting 2 and registered 28 total tackles, 4 passes defended, 2 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks.
Tonga was inactive in the first two games of 2022, in matchups against the Bears and the Dolphins, and made his Vikings debut in Week 8 against the Cardinals, where he pressured quarterback Kyler Murray to force an interception. He played in 12 games in his first Vikings season and started a couple of contests.
He returned for a second campaign as a restricted free agent, and many expected him to be the team’s breakout candidate after playing superb football in a limited 2022 sample. His role declined, though, in Brian Flores’ defense from 276 to only 188 snaps. In 2023, Tonga collected 15 tackles in 14 games but couldn’t turn into a difference-maker.
So, he joined the Cardinals last offseason, and now it’s time for New England.
The Patriots’ defense ranked 30th in the NFL last year per EPA/Play, a mark that will presumably climb with the aforementioned Vrabel in charge.
Vikings TE Bounces to Jacksonville
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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