Long-Time Viking to Leave Team after 6 Seasons
After six seasons, Garrett Bradbury’s time with the Minnesota Vikings will end.
Long-Time Viking to Leave Team after 6 Seasons
The team signed four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly on Monday, who plays Bradbury’s position, and it’s only a matter of time — probably hours or days — before Bradbury is traded or released.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted 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.”
Usually, when tweets are phrased in this matter, the player is released a day or so later. Fans will hold out hope that Minnesota can snag a late-round draft pick for Bradbury’s services, but the reality might be a roster release this weekend.
The Vikings, meanwhile, traded right guard Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans on Thursday for a 2026 6th-Round draft pick.
Cutting Bradbury would save Minnesota up to $5.2 million. 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.
Meanwhile, the Vikings will presumably start quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2025, a 22-year-old, and partnering him with Kelly is on the way. After Minnesota signed Kelly, Bradbury’s replacement, some speculated that Bradbury could try on the offensive guard position for size, though that’s just a spitballed theory in March. Others asked how Bradbury would turn into an efficient pass-blocker a few inches over in the trenches.
Via trade, Bradbury might have a couple of common sense suitors. A team like the Atlanta Falcons has bubbled to the surface because Bradbury’s college coach, Dwayne Ledford, now works in Atlanta as the offensive line boss. The Falcons lost center Drew Dalman to the Chicago Bears on Monday.
And on Thursday, the New England Patriots released veteran center David Andrews. Mike Vrabel’s team could use a center, and perhaps the Vikings will call the Patriots just to ensure they won’t send a late-rounder to the Twin Cities for Bradbury.
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
Always fairly decent — never congruent with a center drafted in Round 1 six years ago.
Bradbury will turn 30 this summer.
Adam Thielen Sure Had a Good Day
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.