Kevin O’Connell Addresses Jonathan Greenard Trade Buzz
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell expects outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard to be on his team in September, but didn’t sound wholly ironclad about it.
Minnesota’s coach did not slam the door on Greenard trade talk.
That’s one of the takeaways from O’Connell’s comments Monday, as the NFL held its annual league meetings.
O’Connell’s Comments Keep the Greenard Debate Alive
Greenard will probably stay in Minnesota, but a trade isn’t yet ruled out.
O’Connell on Greenard
Reporters asked O’Connell about a litany of topics — it was his first time in front of the media in a month — and on Greenard, O’Connell spilled the beans.
“Yeah, I expect him to be part of our team. I know there’s always conversations. There’s conversations this week. There’s conversations throughout the offseason, and we’ll continue to kind of attack things at the different phases. We’re getting ready to really jump heavily into draft meetings when we get back,” he said.
“But at the same time, we’re always going to try to do what’s best for our team and also what we think is best for each one of our individual players. And that’s an ongoing thing throughout every offseason.”
It’s worth noting that many trade processes begin with verbiage like “I expect him to be on our team.”
The Ebb and Flow of the Process
On March 3rd, ESPN’s Adam Schefter started it all, tweeting, “Vikings are now open to trading Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, per sources. They would like to keep Greenard, but they also have salary cap issues they’re working through that have led to these trade conversations.”
Because of the timing — one week before the official start of NFL free agency — it felt realistic that Minnesota could ship Greenard to a new team, probably for a 2nd-Round draft pick or something similar. But Greenard’s contractual asking price reportedly stalled any trade negotiations. His peers, like Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson, earn over $45 million per season. Greenard makes $19 million. The would-be trade partner — most believe it was the Philadelphia Eagles — was apparently reluctant to hand Greenard a large new contract. After all, he logged just 3 sacks in 12 games last season.
Since then, the trade buzz has died down, and Greenard has even posted social media clips, highlights of himself as a Viking. He was also in Eagan at team headquarters last week.
Too, playoff-contending teams rarely trade Top 15 EDGE defenders. If the Vikings wish to return to the playoffs, they should probably keep Greenard and bow to his asking price.
Leaving the Door Open
O’Connell used familiar lingo, words usually invoked by general managers who are open to trading players. When a player is not for sale, the message is usually firm: “We’re not trading John Doe.”
On the other hand, when a player is on the trade block, NFL GMs and some coaches tend to thread the needle with messaging, saying stuff like, “My expectation is that John Doe will be on this team next season.”
O’Connell chose the latter path, suggesting that Greenard can be obtained for a fair offer.
A to Z Sports‘ on Tyler Forness on O’Connell’s politician speak: “Now, that could be from O’Connell’s tendency to be a politician when he speaks to the media, but he always leaves some crumbs to follow. The door isn’t closed on a potential Greenard trade, and with the NFL Draft coming up, he could end up getting moved during three day event.”
Who Would Replace Greenard in a Trade?
If Minnesota pulls the trigger on a Greenard trade, it would instantly promote 2024 1st-Rounder Dallas Turner to a full-time starter’s duty next to Andrew Van Ginkel. Turner played 66% of Vikings snaps in 2025 and looked marvelous in the second half of the season.
Still, serious teams generally employ more than two notable EDGE defenders; the Vikings would have just two if they traded Greenard.
From free agency, these EDGEs are ready to sign as early as now:
- Joey Bosa
- Jadeveon Clowney
- Michael Danna
- Marcus Davenport
- A.J. Epenesa
- Leonard Floyd
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Cameron Jordan
- Von Miller
- Haason Reddick
From the draft, the rookies look like this before the end of Round 3:
- Keldric Faulk (Auburn)
- Akheem Mesidor (Miami)
- T.J. Parker (Clemson)
- Cashius Howell (Texas A&M)
- Zion Young (Missouri)
- Malachi Lawrence (UCF)
- R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma)
- Gabe Jacas (Illinois)
- Derrick Moore (Michigan)
- Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State)
- Joshua Josephs (Tennessee)
- Romello Height (Texas Tech)
- Keyron Crawford (Auburn)
- L.T. Overton (Alabama)
In the short term, Minnesota would probably have to pick an EDGE before the later rounds if it expects an immediate impact.
Greenard will turn 29 in May.
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