The Garrett Bradbury Verdict Is In
That’s it.
The Garrett Bradbury Verdict Is In
The Garrett Bradbury era in the Twin Cities is over, as the Minnesota Vikings ended the six-season experiment on Monday.
The Vikings’ social media team tweeted, “We have released C Garrett Bradbury. We’re appreciative of everything Garrett did in his six seasons in Minnesota.”
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis added financial context, “The Vikings are releasing C Garrett Bradbury. It’s a post-June cut, which saves about $5.25 million on the cap for 2025.”
Now What at Center?
The Vikings unexpectedly signed center Ryan Kelly from the Indianapolis Colts last Tuesday, and the move represented the Vikings’ most significant investment in the offensive line’s interior … in years. For weeks, fans hoped the purple team would take the plunge with Drew Dalman in free agency, but the Chicago Bears wiped Dalman off the board right away on Monday. Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler, got the nod instead.
It’s Kelly in and Bradbury out.
Some believed Bradbury could be traded when Kelly signed on the Vikings’ dotted line. But with no trade partner, apparently, it’s an outright release for the veteran center.
Kelly didn’t hit many fans’ radar this offseason because of his age. He’s 32, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah usually doesn’t sign free agents that “old.” But this time was different. Kelly will hold down the middle of the offensive line for at least two seasons.
Bradbury’s Career with Vikings
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted last Thursday, “Minnesota is planning to release its 2019 first-round pick Garrett Bradbury unless a trade can be worked out, per sources. Bradbury’s standing was altered after the Vikings signed former Colts Pro-Bowl center Ryan Kelly.”
Typically, when tweets are phrased in this matter, the player is released a day or so later. Fans held out hope that Minnesota would snag a late-round draft pick for Bradbury’s services via trade, but that didn’t occur.
Bradbury has played in Minnesota since 2019, drafted from Round 1 by former general manager Rick Spielman. He’s not the best pass-blocking center imaginable, but he’s a decent commodity on the whole.
Here’s Bradbury’s Pro Football Focus resume since 2019:
2024: 62.8
2023: 60.9
2022: 67.5
2021: 60.2
2020: 61.4
2019: 57.8
The New England Patriots are considered the frontrunner, at least on paper, for Bradbury’s services after that club severed ties with long-time center David Andrews last week.
NBC Sports Boston‘s Nick Goss recently wrote about Bradbury to New England, “Bradbury isn’t an elite player by any means, and the downward trend in his performance isn’t very encouraging. But he’s a better option than any of the internal candidates currently on the Patriots roster, and if signed to a short-term, prove-it type of contract, he could be a nice addition to an offensive line that badly needs upgrades.”
The Falcons, too, have bubbled to the surface as a fit because Bradbury’s college coach, Dwayne Ledford, now works in Atlanta as the offensive line boss. The Falcons lost the aforementioned Dalman to the Chicago Bears one week ago.
New Look Offensive Line
Here’s the fresh offensive line for Minnesota before free agency’s second wave or the 2025 NFL Draft:
LT: Christian Darrisaw
LG: Blake Brandel
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Will Fries
RT: Brian O’Neill
And this is the skinny on the offensive line from 2024:
Vikings OL Rankings,
2024:
ESPN Pass Block = 2nd
Sharp Analysis = 9th
Pro Football Network = 10th
ESPN Run Block = 15th
PFF = 18th
So, even with Bradbury and Ed Ingram (traded to the Houston Texans last week) in the mix last season, Minnesota’s fivesome performed admirably in Kevin O’Connell’s third act.
It’s just that everyone will remember the purple trenches getting abused by the Los Angeles Rams in the postseason. Fundamentally, the unit played quite well in 2024.
Other Release & Trade Candidates
While Minnesota hasn’t been bashful about trades involving Ingram and running back Jordan Mason, the club may not be done trading players.
Other candidates to monitor between now and the summer might include linebacker Brian Asamoah, running back Ty Chandler, and possibly Blake Brandel if the Vikings make one more guard splash with a free agent guard like Shaq Mason, Brandon Scherff, Teven Jenkins, or Will Hernandez.
Two of the same players — Chandler and Asamoah — could be roster cut candidates later this summer.
Bradbury will turn 30 this summer.
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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