Vikings Secure Surprise Defensive Standout
It was an expected no-brainer decision for the Minnesota Vikings, and they finally came through and got the job done. Defensive tackle Jalen Redmond will stick around for a third season in purple, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Fowler posted on social media, “The Vikings are placing the exclusive rights tender on DL Jalen Redmond, per source. He’s an extension candidate coming off his six-sack season.”
One of the few bright spots in Minnesota’s disappointing 2025 season was the emergence of Jalen Redmond. A constant disruptor in his second season with the Vikings, it was an easy decision to keep him around.
With only two accrued seasons on his NFL track record, he entered the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent. Without that tender, he would’ve become a free agent, but with the tender now used, he can’t negotiate with other teams.
The Vikings could hand him a long-term deal this offseason, but that’s a conversation for the summer, now that he’s guaranteed to be on the roster throughout the 2026 season.
Our own Dustin Baker wrote in January, “Redmond has turned into one of the NFL’s most effective interior defenders, even if his name hasn’t broken through nationally yet. He ended 2025 with a 72.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, complete with 6 sacks, which ranked 11th in the league among all defensive tackles. Redmond also checked in fourth in batted passes, one of his specialties.”
Redmond carved out a role in the second half of his first season with the Vikings in 2024 and slowly emerged as a real difference-maker in 2025, making plays against the pass and the run.
“Entering 2025,” Baker continued, “the assignment was simple for the UFLer: confirm that 2024 wasn’t a fluke. Redmond totally cleared that bar — and then some. His play held steady week after week, and the production followed. At that point, the conversation shifted from ‘solid contributor’ to genuine leaguewide respect. He’s a true rags-to-riches story in NFL-speak, and Vikings fans often consider Redmond their ultimate unearthed gem, mainly because casual football fans still don’t know him.”
Redmond played on a defensive line that featured expensive veterans Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen after pushing Harrison Phillips out in training camp. And then he was the best of that group. With him as a building block moving forward, the Vikings are feeling comfortable about showing Hargrave the door, while Allen has also been linked to release scenarios. New defensive linemen could arrive this and next month in free agency and the Draft.
Behind Redmond, the Vikings still have 2024 draftee Levi Drake Rodriguez and 2025 pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. Both played solid rotational roles in 2025. Their continued development will decide whether the Vikings have to spend big-time resources to restock the defensive line or feel good about their core.
Redmond’s story has been quite inspiring. He entered the league as an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma in 2023. In college, he missed time with blood clots and that also led him to skip the COVID season.
His first stop in the NFL was with the Carolina Panthers, who signed him as a UDFA. Unfortunately, they didn’t spot his talent and waived him following the preseason. Redmond then continued his football journey in the UFL, where the Vikings found him.
Signed in the 2024 offseason, Redmond first failed to claim a roster spot, but remained on the practice squad to start the season. A few weeks later, the Vikings promoted Redmond, and he started to earn a bench role in 2024, followed by his explosion in 2025.
Redmond’s rise from undrafted prospect to key contributor has become one of the Vikings’ best development stories in recent years. By securing him with the exclusive-rights tender, Minnesota ensures that one of its most promising defensive pieces remains in place heading into the 2026 season.
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