Vikings May Have Just Got Good News on Jonathan Greenard
For one month, Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard has lived in the trade rumor mill, as the veteran defender wants a new contract while employed by a franchise with a tight budget. Minnesota handed Greenard a $19 million-per-season deal in 2024, which was fair market value at the time, but the NFL market has reset twice since. Now, thanks to Travon Walker’s extension, the Vikings have some good news: a baseline for extension talks.
Minnesota now has a stronger baseline if it wants to keep one of its best defenders long term.
Walker will stay attached to the Jaguars for the long haul, and his new price tag shouldn’t be far from Greenard’s.
Walker’s Deal Sharpens the Greenard Price Tag
Would you pay Greenard $27 million annually?
Walker Re-Ups with Jaguars
Walker’s extension is complete. ESPN’s Michael DiRocco wrote Friday, “The Jacksonville Jaguars signed defensive end Travon Walker to a four-year, $110 million contract extension, his agency announced Friday. The deal includes $77 million guaranteed and $50 million fully guaranteed at signing, Elite Loyalty Sports announced on X.”
“The contract averages $27.5 million annually, which makes Walker — the first overall pick in 2022 — the 12th-highest-paid edge rusher in terms of annual salary. He’s just behind Baltimore’s Trey Hendrickson ($28 million), the New York Giants’ Brian Burns ($28.2 million), and Jaguars teammate Josh Hines-Allen ($28.25 million). Walker has 27.5 sacks, 200 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 57 quarterback hits in 60 career games.”
Yes, this is the new blueprint for Greenard-related contract talks. Walker and Greenard are bedfellows per production, and Walker is even more valuable because he’s four years younger.
The New Ballpark Figure for Greenard
Before the Walker extension, extreme uncertainty loomed about Greenard’s asking price. With his peers topping out at around $46 million per year, would Greenard and his superagent, Drew Rosenhaus, put their feet down and demand $35 million? After all, until Greenard’s 3 measly sacks in 12 games last season, most of the NFL considered him a Top 15 EDGE rusher. Many still do; it’s why trade rumors involving his services are so plentiful, with clubs like the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts reportedly inquiring about his availability.
The Walker extension, though, brings the conversation back to earth. If he could not top $30 million, and has age on his side, unlike Greenard, well, Greenard might have a tough time asking for $35 million or anything over $30 million.
Why? Well, Greenard will need a statement season in 2026, proving to onlookers that the 3-sack output was just a bizarre outlier. A dude who logs 3 sacks is not worth $30+ million, no matter how many quarterback pressures he logs on Sundays.
The NFL’s EDGE Pecking Order
Greenard is the NFL’s 16th-richest outside linebacker per average annual salary. Here’s a look at the current wage pecking order:
- Micah Parsons (GB) — $46.5M
- Aidan Hutchinson (DET) — $45M
- T.J. Watt (PIT) — $41M
- Danielle Hunter (HOU) — $40.1M
- Myles Garrett (CLE) — $40M
- Maxx Crosby (LV) — $35.5M
- Nick Bosa (SF) — $34M
- Jaelan Phillips (CAR) — $30M
- Travon Walker (JAX) — $27.5M
- Nik Bonitto (DEN) — $26.5M
- Montez Sweat (CHI) — $24.5M
- Andrew Van Ginkel (MIN) — $23M
- George Karlaftis (KC) — $22M
- Zach Sieler (MIA) — $21.333M
- Greg Rousseau (BUF) — $20M
- Jonathan Greenard (MIN) — $19M
- Khalil Mack (LAC) — $18M
Bonitto will get a monster deal before too long, but based on this list, Greenard probably deserves a deal in line with Walker or just beneath it. Ultimately, Minnesota may remedy the Greenard situation the way it did Danielle Hunter in years past — add more money onto the following season and call it good.
Our Janik Eckardt noted last week on the Hunter parallel, “Not every year was the same, but the Vikings generally took money from the later years of his contract and put it into the upcoming season to satisfy their star defender in the short term, while pretty much saying, ‘We’ll deal with it later.'”
“In the final year of his contract, as he only had a payout of $5.5 million remaining, Hunter requested a raise and got it. He got a one-year, $20 million deal that included a no-tag clause. A year later, he left for his hometown Texans. The Greenard solution could be comparable. An option could be a salary adjustment. Looking at his performance and the leaguewide contracts of edge rushers, an asking price of $35 million per year might not be too far-fetched.”
The Theoretical Trade Asking Price
Suppose Greenard and Rosenhaus grow disillusioned with the Vikings’ bargaining process. Minnesota allegedly wants a 2nd-Rounder for Greenard, and anything less may be a non-starter. Otherwise, the Vikings could’ve traded him by now, probably to the aforementioned Eagles or Colts if the asking price were, for example, a 3rd-Rounder.
In the end, because serious football teams don’t usually get rid of pass rushers before all-in seasons, Greenard will likely re-up with the Vikings, and that will be that.
A trade may have happened by now if Minnesota was ready to cut ties with Greenard.
He’ll turn 29 next month.
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