Could the Vikings Reunite with an Old Friend via Trade?
The Minnesota Vikings kinda-sorta have a solution at the center position in 2026, and his name is familiar to Vikings fans: Blake Brandel. But later this summer, if the front office and coaching staff realize they want an alternative, and an old friend could be available via trade: Garrett Bradbury.
Minnesota has familiarity, a center question, and a theoretical path to an old-friend reunion.
Bradbury currently plays for the Chicago Bears, a club that drafted Logan Jones from Iowa last month. Jones will turn 25 years old as a rookie, suggesting he’ll probably play sooner rather than later, putting Bradbury on the back burner.
Bradbury’s Timeline in CHI Creates a Narrow Trade Window
How would you feel about a Brabury trade?
Bradbury on the Hot Seat?
Jones probably isn’t a rookie to be dropped in the crockpot for 2027 or 2028. More likely than not, his age and draft stock suggest he will play — possibly start — in 2026.
DaWindyCity.com‘s Parker Hurley wrote this week, “The long-term plan is now for Logan Jones, whom the team drafted in the second round. However, history tells us that this is more than just a long-term play. Almost all centers who get drafted that high end up starting more games in their rookie year than they sit. Chicago is in a win-now mindset, and they did not spend a second-round pick on someone who cannot help them win this year.”
“So, Jones will likely open training camp as the backup, but he is going to have every chance to win the job in the preseason. If that is the case, the Bears will have two decisions. They could keep Bradbury and ensure solid depth behind a rookie center. Given their questions recently at left tackle, they may lean into having better depth. The Bears could also trade Bradbury.”
Considering Bradbury spent his first six seasons in Minnesota, the Vikings would not be an outlandish trade partner if the last portion of Hurley’s assessment comes to fruition.
Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens, and Gavin Gerhardt at Center
If the Vikings “do nothing” in the spring and summer at center, Brandel will likely put his paw on the football for the first offensive snap of 2026. He took over the position last year when injuries rocked Ryan Kelly, and truth be told, Brandel improved each week.
The club also employs Jurgens, a late-round lottery ticket from the 2024 NFL Draft. Then, Kevin O’Connell and Co. drafted Gerhardt in Round 7 a couple of weeks ago. The Vikings claim to have big plans for him, scouting him as their center solution while not drafting players like Jones.
But what if none of those options sounds as attractive as a Bradbury on the open market? That’s exactly why the Bradbury trade theory should be alive and well.
The Trade Price for Bradbury
The Bears acquired Bradbury for a 5th-Round pick in March. Chicago will not be able to turn around a few months later and sell him for more. They lost leverage when they selected Jones.
Therefore, while trade prices are notoriously unpredictable in the NFL, a center-needy franchise can probably pry Bradbury from Chicago for a 5th- or 6th-Round pick. That should be interpreted as the Bears’ penalty for drafting Jones. They tipped their hand.
The Vikings would then ask themselves: should we send a late-round asset from a deep 2027 draft class to Chicago for Bradbury, who we know intimately — or let it ride with Brandel, Jurgens, and Gerhardt?
SI.com‘s Mike Moraitis on Bradbury: “Guaranteeing more money for Bradbury would seem to indicate a trade of the veteran is now less likely and instead the Bears might be keen on keeping him around, even if he falls to No. 2 on the depth chart.”
“Keeping Bradbury around as more depth if he loses the starting job wouldn’t be the worst idea, although we still tend to believe Chicago would trade him in that scenario if the offer is right.”
Bradbury in 2025
Bradbury played a whopping 1,070 offensive snaps in 2025 and was flagged for zero penalties. He fired up familiar Pro Football Focus grades, notching a 60.1 overall — decent but not great. Then, he flipped the script on his modus operandi. Until 2025 in New England, Bradbury specialized in run-blocking while struggling — quite often — against big, mean defensive tackles in pass protection.
Well, with the Patriots, Bradbury produced a 56.2 run-blocking grade but 63.1 via pass-blocking. He basically switched his skill set around without any ceremony.
Overall, the Patriots must not have enjoyed him too much, shipping him to Chicago in favor of Jared Wilson, a 3rd-Rounder from Georgia in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But the fact remains that the Vikings could express trade interest because of their experience with him, and the Bears could be selling.
You must be logged in to post a comment.