Recent Cash Windfall Won’t Be the Last for Jalen Redmond
Jalen Redmond continued his career breakout last season, turning a first season on promise in Minnesota into a second season in which he became the team’s best interior defensive lineman. He received an extra $1.18 million this week for his efforts during the 2025 season.
The Recent Cash Windfall
The NFL has a new performance-based payment system that can see players on small contracts get a pay bump after the fact. It is a new initiative for this year, and Redmond found himself in the money this week. In essence, if an unsung player exceeds his expected snap count and the efficiency is there, he gets paid extra.
Each team was allotted $16.951 million in performance-based pay benefits, and the Vikings issued 100% of their budget to 68 different players.
Redmond was a 2025 poster child for the program and the only Viking to receive north of $1 million. The extra money comes with the $1 million he receives after the Vikings tendered him an exclusive-rights contract, ensuring he stays in Minnesota for the 2026 season.
Redmond’s rise from a discarded undrafted player in Carolina to a year in the UFL to the lynchpin on the Vikings DL has been meteoric. It leaves Redmond deserving of a much bigger contract than the tender he is sitting on.
When Does the Extension Come?
Redmond deserves a long-term commitment, and while the tender means there’s no rush on the Vikings’ side, Redmond will have accrued three seasons by the end of this year, taking away Minnesota’s exclusive rights. The Vikings shouldn’t wait for him to hit free agency next year and face competition for his signature – get the deal done this year.
The numbers back up what the film shows. Redmond earned a 72.7 Pro Football Focus grade and recorded six sacks from the DL interior, ranking 11th among all NFL defensive tackles. Furthermore, he led all defensive tackles in pass deflections, consistently disrupting quarterbacks.
Minnesota spent big money last year on Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, only to release them earlier this month. Redmond outperformed both last season, deciding to cut ties with the two veterans for salary-cap relief, an easy one.
He has been a late bloomer, but Redmond is still only 27 and has plenty of football left ahead of him. In a short space of time, Redmond has become one of the most important players on the Vikings’ defense. If there is one player on the Vikings roster who should get the next big contract, it is Redmond.
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