Four-Time Pro Bowler Walks Away from Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings attempted to nail down the center position on the offensive line for a few years last offseason by signing free-agent Ryan Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler. The experiment lasted one season. Kelly announced his retirement late last week.
Minnesota now has a fresh hole on the offensive line with March roster-building about to heat up.
The veteran lineman sustained three concussions in 2025 alone; it was time to put a bow on his career.
Options Emerge for the Vikings at Center in Wake of Ryan Kelly’s Retirement
The Vikings will need a center from free agency or the draft.
Kelly Retires
A ten-season career is formally over. Vikings.com’s Craig Peters wrote Friday, “Center Ryan Kelly on Friday announced he is retiring after 10 NFL seasons, including 2025 with the Minnesota Vikings. Originally a first-round pick (18th overall) by the Indianapolis Colts in 2016, Kelly joined the Vikings last March.”
“Minnesota envisioned Kelly’s talent and experience at the pivot as an incredible resource as the team prepared for J.J. McCarthy’s first season as a starting quarterback. The plan made sense, with Minnesota adding a four-time Pro Bowler with 121 career regular-season starts to the fold, but it didn’t come to full fruition.”
Kelly had previously signed a two-year, $18 million deal with former Vikings boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in March 2025.
His Farewell
Kelly posted a lengthy, heartfelt goodbye on Instagram:
10 seasons. I gave this game everything I had but it gave me more than I could’ve ever asked for in return. You cannot replicate an NFL building and the people that make it so special. After a decade of playing this game, I realize that the relationships you make along the way are what you hang your hat on.
I’ve been blessed to be a part of two incredible organizations. Organizations that want to see you succeed on the field but celebrate the growth of your life off just as much. Indianapolis and Minneapolis will forever hold a special place in our family’s hearts, as well as the fans who have supported us through the years. Some of the greatest people we’ve ever met. I was blessed to be in buildings with some of the finest coaches, trainers, strength staff and support staff this game has to offer, and I’m forever grateful for our time together.
The locker room was always my favorite place. Insane hypotheticals, religion, music etc. you name it, and we talked about it. If the world would spend time in one, we’d all be better off for it. What always brought me back year after year were the guys. I’ve met lifelong friends and took something from everybody along the way. My career wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of my family. My favorite moment of each Sunday was walking off the field, looking up and finding my family in the stands.
They’re the ones who have celebrated and supported me at the highest and lowest moments. Mom, Dad and Mike, I will eternally be grateful for the endless sacrifice to come support me through the years. I’ll forever miss coming to the sideline in warm-ups and hearing ‘Dada’ as my kids’ superhero scoops them up. Lastly, as I look back on my career, the one person who I owe more to than anybody is @byemmakelly.
She has been my #1 fan since the day we met and has my back unequivocally. You won’t meet a more loyal and loving woman. I love you more than anything in the world. I hope I left this game and the places I’ve been better than when I found it. I won’t miss the show, but I’ll sure as hell miss the characters.
Kelly was also a two-time National Champion at Alabama.
Kelly’s Production in 2025
The bittersweet part? Kelly played wonderfully when he wasn’t concussed last year. He only saw the field on 329 offensive snaps, but he logged an outstanding 82.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, nominating him as the NFL’s fourth-best center.
He allowed one sack and was dinged for just one penalty.
Throughout his career in Indianapolis, Kelly was typically regarded as a Top 3 center, which explains the four Pro Bowls.
The Replacement Options
Suddenly, Minnesota needs a center if it doesn’t trust in-house options like Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens for the gig. From free agency, which starts Monday at 11:00 am, the list looks like this:
- Tyler Linderbaum (BAL)
- Cade Mays (CAR)
- Luke Fortner (NO)
- Ethan Pocic (CLE)
Minnesota has newfound cap space after releasing Aaron Jones, Javon Hargrave, and Jonathan Allen, as well as restructuring a few players’ contracts.
And center from the draft:
- Connor Lew (Auburn)
- Jake Slaughter (Florida)
- Parker Brailsford (Alabama)
- Pat Coogan (Indiana)
- Sam Hecht (Kansas)
- Brian Parker (Duke)
- Logan Jones (Iowa)
It’s worth noting that many draft heads are high on Jones from Iowa, whose current draft placement is near the end of Round 3.
Minnesota has nine picks as of early March if it prefers the draft for Kelly’s replacement.
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