Former Viking Cashes In After Fresh Start
The Minnesota Vikings and all other teams kick off their free agency on Monday. On Sunday, Minnesota already took care of Eric Wilson’s pending free agency, signing him to a nice contract extension. The Houston Texans waited another day before handing Ed Ingram his new paycheck. He signed a sweet three-year deal.
Nobody thought Ingram could have this type of career revival when the Vikes shipped him to Houston last offseason, but here we are. He went from being benched in the Twin Cities to signing an above-average starter contract within 16 months.
ESPN reported Monday morning, “Texans guard Ed Ingram will not hit free agency after agreeing to return to Houston on a three-year, $37.5 million deal, according to ESPN and NFL Network. The deal, which was agreed to hours before the opening of the NFL’s free agent negotiating window Monday, includes $23.5 million in guarantees, according to sources.”
Last year, the Vikings signed Colts free agent guard Will Fries to a deal close to $90 million contract for five years, immediately putting Ingram on the chopping block. The Texans sent a 6th-rounder in exchange for the final year of his rookie deal. They were so happy with his play that they extended his deal.
Houston’s investment makes sense. Their offensive line has been a problem for years.
ESPN added, “Ingram, 27, would have been one of the top-ranked interior offensive linemen in free agency this year. His return figures to help stabilize an overhauled offensive line for the Texans, who traded away two starters from last season — tackle Tytus Howard and guard Juice Scruggs — in separate deals earlier this month.”
Houston’s decision to re-sign Ingram doesn’t necessarily signal star-level play, but it does show the Texans valued his stability. Offensive line depth across the league remains thin, and teams often prioritize familiarity and system fit over chasing splashier names. Ingram provided steady snaps and avoided becoming a liability in protection, which was enough for Houston to justify keeping him around.
For a team trying to smooth out ongoing offensive line problems, retaining a serviceable starter can be preferable to gambling on another unknown option in free agency or the Draft.
Ingram initially arrived in Minnesota in the 2nd round of the 2022 Draft. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s third-ever pick was considered a reach by consensus board metrics, but he still clinched the starting role at right guard by Week 1.
His rookie year was shaky and he was undoubtedly one of the worst guards in football. By Year 2, folks hoped a sophomore jump would occur, but it didn’t. Ahead of Year 3, the Vikings promoted Blake Brandel to starting left guard and had Dalton Risner waiting in the wings. After a few games, Risner replaced Ingram in the starting lineup and the Vikings never looked back.
More from ESPN, “The Texans originally acquired Ingram from the Vikings last offseason. He was benched in 2024 with the Vikings but blossomed with Houston in 2025. Ingram, a 2022 second-round draft pick, allowed the 12th-lowest pressure rate (6.4) among guards with at least 400 pass-block snaps, according to Next Gen Stats.”
Both the Next Gen Stats and his PFF grade suggest Ingram played at a borderline Pro Bowl level, which raised some concerns about the offensive line coaching in Minnesota. OL coach Chris Kuper was let go. His contract expired after four years and he took the same position in Philadelphia.
The Vikings just promoted his assistant, Keith Carter, who was the OL coach for the Titans and Jets in the past. He’ll be asked to improve Minnesota’s OL. Better health would certainly help.
Ingram just turned 27 and the Texans liked what they saw. At this moment, his new annual salary of $12.5 million ranks him tied-10th among NFL right guards. Just for comparison, the Vikings pay Will Fries $17,544,000 per season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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